


The Angel, The Adonis, and Their New Addition

by WritingWarrior



Category: Original Work
Genre: BDSM, Daddy Kink, F/M, M/M, Punishment, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-08-18 23:12:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8179337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingWarrior/pseuds/WritingWarrior
Summary: My writer's block has finally ended. I'm going to post chapter 2 either tonight or tomorrow.  I hope you enjoy. I've included a lot of your suggestions.





	1. Out of Town Trouble

**Author's Note:**

> My writer's block has finally ended. I'm going to post chapter 2 either tonight or tomorrow. I hope you enjoy. I've included a lot of your suggestions.

_Beep beep_.

Maxwell removed the card and pushed the door open. It was the same, it was always same. Beige walls, a basic painting over the bed, a small desk in the corner, a sad excuse for a bathroom, and a closet tucked away that was just big enough hold a weekend worth of suits.

He put his suits in the closet and sat the briefcase on the desk. It was at that moment that he remembered to turn his phone back on. A short text tone played over and over and over as picture after picture came through. Most of them were pictures of Riley in various poses and degrees of bondage. Corey was in a few of them, sometimes just parts of him.

Maxwell smiled to himself sent a text to them both.

_I just got to the hotel. I'm taking a nap before heading to my meeting. Behave._

Even after the meeting, Maxwell had to prepare for another presentation and many more in the area. It was supposed to be a two day trip. It was day three, and there was still a lot to do. Corey and Riley texted him more often, complaining about his absence and tempting him to cut the trip short.

On day five, he got a text from Corey that caught his attention.

_Riley is really starting to miss you. Please come back soon._

It wasn't over exaggerated pleading or pouting. Corey felt the need to text on Riley's behalf. Maxwell sighed and looked at the work on his desk.

_I have a meeting early tomorrow morning. I'll come home afterwards. No matter what._

He worked through the night to make sure he completed everything he needed to do. He chugged coffee until his bladder couldn't take it. When the coffee ran out, he switched to energy drinks. He dressed in the morning and checked out of the hotel. The overdose of caffeine helped him sell the pitch at his meeting. He stopped to get lunch on his way to the airport. By the time he took his seat on the plane, he was exhausted.

He slept the entire six and a half hours on the plane. The change in time zones from the east coast to the west coast was difficult. He landed at 3:00 pm.

When he walked into the apartment, Riley was laying on the couch. He didn't move an inch to see who walked in. Maxwell put his bags down and walked over to the couch. Riley's eyes were closed.

“It's a little late for a nap, Angel.”

Riley's eyes snapped open and he wrapped his arms around Maxwell's neck. “Max!”

Maxwell smiled and wrapped his arms around Riley's waist. “Missed me?”

“You said two days! Not a fucking week!” Riley screamed with a sudden change in temper.

“Watch your language sweetheart,” Maxwell warned softly.

“No! Fuck that! You said you would be back in two days. It's been six! I will _not_ watch my language! You're going to deal with it.”

Maxwell quirked an eyebrow at him.

Riley paused and considered taking it all back. He was right though. He waited patiently for Maxwell to return, he should get to let off some steam. Apologizing couldn't hurt though. It may help him avoid a punishment.

He opened his mouth to speak, but at that very moment Corey opened the door. A smile spread across Corey's face. He walked over to Maxwell and embraced him without a word.

They shared a brief moment, then Corey looked around, assessing the situation. “Am I interrupting something? Is everything ok?”

Maxwell looked over to Riley. “It will be.”

He made made a quick gesture and Riley rushed to the bedroom. Maxwell was a few paces behind him and pushed the door closed behind them.

“Is there anything else you would like to say?” Maxwell asked as he sat on the bed.

Riley folded his arms. “You left for a week. You said it would be two days. You're the one that said we need to talk. Talking isn't a text saying that you won't be home when you thought. So yeah. I'm going to be pissed.”

Maxwell nodded to show he was listening.

Riley continued, “I get that work is important. I knew that when we started dating. I expected you to work a lot and go on business trips, but I also expected to be important as well. I expected to be worth more than a quick text.”

Maxwell stroked Riley's arm. “I didn't say you couldn't be angry. I know it was a difficult week and I'm sorry that I couldn't be here. I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you often enough. You have every right to be upset, but I asked you to watch your language.”

Riley huffed stubbornly and crossed his arms.

“Riley, you are very important to me. If you needed to talk to me then why didn't you say so? You could have texted me and said that you needed to talk to more. We can talk on the phone or skype. If you needed me I could have had you come see me. Even if it was day four or five and you tried to be patient, but you couldn't anymore, you could express your frustration. And you can do it without cursing.”

Riley slowly let his eyes fall to the floor. He expected Maxwell to be angry with him, but he wasn't. He was disappointed. He knew Riley could communicate effectively. He believed in Riley and Riley let him down.

“Sorry,” Riley whispered.

Maxwell cupped both of Riley's cheeks and pulled him close before placing a kiss on his forehead. “It's ok sweetheart.”

Max stood and walked to the closet. Each step was precise and calculated. He opened a box, examined the contents briefly, then retrieved a paddle. He walked back to the bed, stepping into previous footsteps all the way back.

Max sat on the bed and held the paddle firmly in his right hand. “Pants down.”

Riley pulled his pants down to his ankles and bent over Max's lap. He felt Max's hand gently caress his ass. Then his hand was gone and the paddle came down on his ass with a hard slap.

The first three hits were directly on top of each other, in the center of his ass. Riley fought the urge to squirm as he felt bruises forming under each hit. His voice wavered as he counted them out loud. Thankfully, the fourth and fifth hits were in different places.

Max caressed his ass again, briefly testing the integrity of the skin. The skin was hot to the touch and bruising rapidly. “Can you hand me the lotion?”

Riley was slightly confused. Max couldn't have been talking to him. His hand was still on Riley's back so he couldn't get up. Who was Max talking to?

Corey reached across to the nightstand and handed Max some lotion.

Riley’s cheeks burned in embarrassment. How long had Corey been in the room? Did he watch? Did Max know he was watching?

The cool lotion eased the pain on his ass. Max rubbed it in gently and Riley relaxed under his touch.

Riley stood slowly and pulled his pants up over his tender ass. Riley crawled on to the bed and laid on his stomach. Corey cuddled next to him and kissed all over his face.

Maxwell laid on the other side of him. He rested an arm on Riley's back and rubbed tiny circles over his spine with his finger tips.

For the rest of the day, all three just enjoyed each other's company. Finally, they were all three back together again.

_____

The pain lasted a few days. After a while, sitting no longer made his ass ache and he felt pretty good. Since Corey was staying over more, Corey and Maxwell carpooled to work and back home. Occasionally they stopped at Corey's apartment for clothes.

Riley was always on the couch for their arrival each afternoon. Sometimes he was chilling in pajamas, but sometimes he was dressed to go out for dinner. One time he was on the couch naked just to switch it up, and that lead to him spit roasted in the living room. He hadn't done that since college.

This time he waited, shirtless, on the couch in jeans. Maxwell and Corey came inside, lost in their own conversation about work.

“They should really fire Jackson too. He doesn't do anything,” Maxwell said as he sat down his briefcase.

“Can't you fire him?”

“Yeah, but his dad would make my life hell. I don't care if he isn't productive. I just want to make sure he doesn't mess anything up.”

Corey nodded along. “That's a sticky situation. That leaves an easy job for his new assistant.”

“Are you jealous?” Maxwell teased.

“You know I like being lazy,” Corey smiled.

“If you replace Jackson's assistant then you'll have to find someone to replace you.”

“I'll get you some hot blonde with a nice ass,” Corey painted an image as he pulled a drink out of the refrigerator. “Everyone needs some eye candy at work. Everyone loves a great ass in a pencil skirt.”

Riley had had enough. They had been inside for 3 minutes without even acknowledging him. “Excuse me.”

Corey smiled brightly. “Perfect. Here's a hot blonde.” Corey took Riley's hand and turned him around. “And he's got a great ass.”

“Thanks,” Riley said, quite unsure about what was going on.

“I'm not hiring Riley to work for me,” Maxwell responded to Corey's idea.

Riley caught on quickly. “Why not?”

Maxwell looked up at him. “Do you want work for me?”

“Why not? We could hang out all the time,” Riley smiled.

“We don't hang out at work,” Maxwell corrected.

“True,” Corey chimed in. “Work-Maxwell is much different from home-Maxwell. He's demanding and punctual. He has a set schedule and high expectations.”

“Not to mention you would be literally doing as I say all day long,” Maxwell pointed out.

“I can do it,” Riley cheered.

“I'll look into it, but I want you to really think about it.”

“And I can show you how a typical day goes so you'll see what it's like,” Corey added.

Riley smiled brightly. He really wanted a job. Having a job with Maxwell and Corey would be perfect.

Corey kissed him quickly, filled with excitement. “It's Friday! What are the plans?”

Corey and Riley looked to Maxwell. Maxwell smiled at the fact that they both looked to him for answers. “Any preferences?”

Corey barely took a moment to think before spitting out, “We should see a movie.”

Riley liked the idea so he nodded, but he also something else in mind. “I agree. Can we also-... I want to play.”

“What kind of play?” Maxwell asked curiously.

“The kind with bubble baths.”

“We could go see Finding Dory,” Corey suggested.

“Ok,” Maxwell started as he put together everyone's request. “Let's see Finding Dory tomorrow. I haven't seen the Nemo one yet so we can do that tonight. I'll give Riley a bath while Corey gets dinner for us.”

Corey and Riley nodded, agreeing with the plan.

“What you want for dinner, sweetheart?”

Riley chewed his lip as he thought. Maxwell and Corey let him take his time. “Pizza.”

“Pepperoni?” Corey asked, assuming he wouldn't a lot of stuff on it.

Riley shook his head.

Corey made another attempt to guess. “Just cheese?”

Riley nodded quickly.

“Get another pizza with everything on it and buffalo wings,” Maxwell instructed.

Corey ordered the pizza. He left immediately to have time to pick up things from the store.

Riley followed Maxwell closely as he gathered supplies. Large fluffy towels, a loofah, sweet smelling bubbles, soap, and dry clothes. He started the water and poured in a bit of bubble bath.

Riley watched, captivated by the rising bubbles. As the water rose, the bubbles seemed bigger. What if they overflowed and filled the apartment and everyone drowned? “Daddy!”

Daddy was standing beside him and calmly put a hand on his back. “What is it?”

Riley buried his face in Daddy's chest and cried. He didn't want everyone to drown. Daddy rubbed his back until he felt better.

“Do you not want to take a bath anymore?”

Riley wanted a bath, but maybe that would make it overflow. He pouted and hugged Daddy tight. Daddy kissed the top of his head.

The water stopped. He looked up at Daddy and he was tightening the knobs so water wouldn't come out. Daddy was so strong.

Since the water stopped, he thought it would be ok to get in. He pulled his shirt over his head. It got stuck. He wiggled, but the shirt wouldn't come off. He whined and wiggled more. What if he got stuck forever and suffocated?

The shirt popped off and Daddy pulled his arms out too. Riley smiled and pushed his pants and boxers down. He stepped out of them carefully. Daddy picked him up and lowered him into the tub. It was so warm and cozy.

Daddy took a few steps to go get the loofah from the sink. Suddenly, the bath was too big and he was alone. He felt like he went overboard in a big ocean. No one would find him. “Daddy!”

Daddy was back so fast. He asked a lot of questions. He asked what was wrong and stuff. He looked really worried. He reached out to hug Daddy, but his hands were wet. He would get Daddy's nice clothes wet.

That would be bad. He didn't want to be bad. He put his hands his lap like a good boy even though he really wanted to hug Daddy.

Daddy stood up, which made him sad. “Do you want me to get in with you?”

He really wanted give Daddy a hug, but that was even better so he nodded. Daddy took his clothes off and hung them over the door so they wouldn't get wet.

Daddy got in the tub behind him. The water almost spilled out, but Daddy was super careful. Daddy let some water out so that they could move around without spilling water in the floor.

Daddy used his hands to move water all over his body until Riley was all wet. He put soap on the loofah and washed Riley all over. Riley got to hold the loofah next and he washed Daddy. The bubbles looked really funny all over Daddy's muscles.

“Alright. Time to rinse off.”

Daddy stood up helped Riley stand too because it was slippery. The water in the tub went down and Daddy turned on the shower. Daddy made sure the water washed away all the soap.

Daddy picked him up and put him on the bath mat. Daddy got a big fluffy towel and wrapped it around him. Daddy put on his robe and helped Riley dry off. Daddy helped him put on some soft pajamas too. There were no pictures on them, but they were really soft and made him feel good.

He reached for Daddy and he was lifted off the ground. He smiled and wrapped his legs around Daddy's waist. Daddy carried him to the couch in the living room. Corey turned on Finding Nemo so they could watch and eat.

Daddy turned him around so he could sit in his lap to eat pizza and watch the movie. Daddy's pizza had yucky stuff on it. Daddy and Corey ate it. He had a whole pizza for himself.

After two slices, his tummy hurt. He curled into Daddy. Daddy held him tight. “Did you eat too much?”

Daddy rubbed his tummy in little circles. It tickled at first, but it felt better. It made him feel good like the soft clothes and bubble baths. His eyes felt heavy. He tried to force his eyes to stay open so he could watch the movie.

Daddy rocked side to side. It made the whole world rock peacefully. His eyes closed once more and it felt so much better. He rocked back and forth, back and forth, back forth.

Corey peeked over at him before whispering, “Is he asleep?”

Maxwell nodded.

“Are you more comfortable with him now?”

Maxwell looked down at Riley and smiled. “Yes. Honestly, I'm glad he suggested it. I miss having him like this.”

Corey nodded slowly. “I'm not surprised.”

Maxwell looked at him, expecting an explanation.

“After seeing how you punished him… You're a great Dom. You really seem like a Daddy Dom though. There are different kinds, just like there are different types of subs. You're a very caring and gentle dominant.”

Maxwell nodded. He was very caring and gentle with Riley, even when he was being punished. “Alright. I know what Riley wants this weekend, but do you need anything?”

“No. I'm good. I've been feeling pretty dominant since you were gone.”

Maxwell hadn't thought about that. He did leave a lot of responsibility on Corey. “Yeah. Sorry about last week. I know it must have been hard on you too.”

“It's ok. It was nice being alone with Riley. We really got to know each other. We talked a lot.”

“Do you want to continue being dominant with Riley while he's little?” Maxwell offered.

Corey looked over at Riley. He smiled fondly at the sleeping blonde and responded, “Yeah. I would.”

Maxwell moved Riley into Corey's lap. Riley's eyes fluttered open. He looked over at Maxwell and up at Corey, who kissed his forehead, before resting his head on Corey's chest and going back to sleep.

He only slept another ten minutes. Corey rubbed his back as he woke up slowly. “I got you a present.”

Riley looked up at him quickly.

“I don't know if you'll like it…”

Riley sat up with increased curiosity.

“It's in your room.”

Riley hopped up quickly, but paused to stretch before sprinting to the bedroom. Maxwell was there already, organizing. He wanted to be sure that Riley could reach everything he needed. When he noticed Riley, he smiled and pointed at the bed.

Riley looked over and immediately noticed books fanned out in the middle. He jumped on the bed and looked through them.

Corey smiled, watching him flip through the books. The joy on Riley's face turned to confusion. Corey sat on the bed beside him. “What's wrong?”

Riley opened the book and showed him the black and white pages.

“You color it. That's why I brought crayons too,” Corey explained as he reached across and opened the crayons for him.

Riley didn't look too happy about the idea.

“I'll show you.”

Corey looked at the page that Riley opened the book too. It was a car on an old road. He picked out a red crayon and lightly colored the car. Riley leaned in close to watch.

“Do you want to color the road?”

Riley didn't respond so Corey handed him a black crayon to initiate a response.

Riley held the crayon awkwardly. Corey sat behind him and guided his hand to the paper. He helped Riley scribble over the road.

Riley looked down at the road he colored and the pretty car that Corey colored. His road looked really bad. There was a lot of space. He scribbled more and more to cover the space, but it didn't look the same. He threw the crayon across the room and kicked the book onto the floor.

“Hey. It's ok. Coloring can be hard, but it's fun too.”

Riley folded his arms and shook his head. He didn't like it. Coloring wasn't fun.

Maxwell looked over at him. “Riley. That wasn't nice.”

Riley looked up slowly.

“Corey was very thoughtful to get those for you. Pick it up and apologize.”

Riley glared at the book in the floor and shook his head with a pout.

“That wasn't a question. Do it now,” Max said firmly.

Riley didn't move. He leaned into Corey slightly to avoid whatever Max would do. Max walked over to him and easily picked him up. Riley kicked and flailed his arms around to get away.

Corey watched to see how Max would handle it. He obviously couldn't handle Riley the same as he usually would. He sat quietly, prepared to help if necessary.

Maxwell sat his feet on the floor and held Riley's arms to his side. “Since you won't do as I say, you'll stand in timeout.”

Maxwell walked Riley over to a bare corner. “Face the corner until I say so. I'm setting a timer for 2 minutes.”

Riley pouted and stood facing the corner. Maxwell set a timer on his phone and sat on the bed with Corey.

Corey smiled at him, clearly approving of his punishment.

The two minutes passed quickly and Maxwell's phone beeped. Riley waited for Maxwell's permission before moving. His voice was gentle and warm. “C'mere sweetheart.”

Riley walked over carefully.

“Now are you going to do as I asked?”

Riley nodded and picked up the coloring book as well as the crayon. He handed the to Corey, but avoided eye contact.

“Now what do you say?” Maxwell reminded.

“Sorry,” Riley whispered to the floor.

“I accept your apology,” Corey smiled as he kissed Riley's cheek.

Maxwell opened his arms and Riley ran to him quickly. Maxwell wrapped his arms around Riley tightly. “You did very well, sweetheart. Since you don't like coloring, do you want to play with the dinosaurs?”

Riley nodded against his chest.

All the of them sat in the floor and played with dinosaurs. Riley played with two, but Corey and Maxwell got one each. Maxwell helped build dinosaur houses. Corey did most of the talking. The three of them worked well together.

_____

Riley was in an awful mood when he woke up. He refused to eat, get dressed, or brush his hair. When Maxwell tried to make him, Riley would scream and kick at him until he stopped. During one particularly violent tantrum, Riley pushed everything off of Maxwell's table, including his laptop. Maxwell grabbed Riley's arms up by his shoulders and held him still.

“Riley!”

Maxwell's voice was rough and it was clear that he was frustrated. Riley flinched at his tone and winced at Maxwell's tight grip his arms. Riley's demeanor changed immediately. His expression softened for a moment before his lips curled down into a quivering pout. Tears pooled in his eyes.

Maxwell loosened his grip quickly, but it was too late. Riley was crying. He sighed heavily, more upset with himself than anything. Riley hunched forward and cried loudly.

Maxwell released his arms and picked him up. He was relieved when Riley leaned on his chest. He sat on the bed with Riley in his arms. “I'm sorry that I hurt you sweetheart.”

Maxwell rocked gently, trying his best to soothe Riley.

_____

Corey stayed behind to clean up all the syrup that was painted all over the kitchen from Riley's tantrum when Maxwell tried to convince him to eat breakfast. He could still hear Riley screaming “No” over and over again.

The sudden crash made him stop cleaning. He listened closely for any signs that someone was hurt. It was quiet for a moment, but then he heard Riley crying. His brain jumped to the worst conclusion. Riley must have tripped on a rug and fell and split his head open. They were going to have to explain all of this in the emergency room.

Corey's heart was pounding in his chest as he walked down the hallway. Riley going to the emergency would be traumatic for him and Maxwell would never be comfortable enough to play with Riley ever again. As he turned the corner to go into the bedroom, he took a deep breath to prepare himself for anything.

Papers, folders, and Maxwell's laptop were scattered in the floor.

Maxwell was cradling Riley on the bed.

Oh god. He was hurt.

Maxwell didn't look as concerned as he would be if Riley was severely injured. He did look tired. No. He looked exhausted. He probably wasn't used to Riley being little this long, and he was never this temperamental. He needed a break.

Corey made his presence known by fully stepping into the room. “Hey,” he said softly, “do you need a hand?”

Maxwell looked up at him as if he was considering it. After a moment he looked back down at Riley and shook his head. It wasn't very convincing so Corey walked over and sat beside him.

Riley wasn't crying much, but he did sniff occasionally, clearly still upset.

“What happened?” Corey asked eventually.

Maxwell spoke quietly. “He was having a tantrum and knocked everything off of the table so i grabbed him and it hurt his arm.”

“Oh, do you want me to go back to the kitchen and finish cleaning?”

Maxwell readjusted Riley in his arms. “It's up to you. You can stay.”

Corey didn't respond, but he didn't get up either. He watched as Maxwell pushed Riley's hair aside and wiped away the remaining traces of tears. “Riley, talk to me.”

Riley shook his head against Maxwell's chest.

“You seem really upset today. What's wrong? Are you sick?”

Riley shook his head again.

“Do you want something? Are you upset because you aren't getting something?”

Riley didn't respond.

“What do you want, sweetheart?” Maxwell persisted.

“Trucks.”

“You want to play with your truck? I told you we can't play with your trucks this morning. We have get cleaned up and ready.”

“TRUCKS,” Riley repeated.

Maxwell sat Riley up in his lap. “No. Look at me. Do you want to see Finding Dory?”

Riley nodded.

“You can't wear your pajamas to the movies.”

Riley looked down at his pajamas and frowned.

“You're covered in syrup and so is Daddy. If you want to see the movie we have to clean up and put on clothes for outside.”

Riley looked at him, contemplating the pros and cons. He sighed dramatically and buried his face in Maxwell's chest.

“You want to see the movie?”

Riley nodded, defeated.

“Ok. You can shower with Daddy and we'll get all clean.”

Maxwell stood up with Riley wrapped around him. He took him into the bathroom and peeled off his sticky clothes and they both got in the shower. He started with Riley's hair. He washed it thoroughly until there was no trace sticky syrup. Riley whined until he was reminded that it was his tantrum that lead to his hair getting sticky in the first place.

Maxwell helped him wash everywhere else too. They were both squeaky clean when Maxwell helped him dry off and step out of the tub.

“Do you want to pick out your clothes like a big boy?”

Riley nodded quickly, excited to do a big boy task.

Maxwell smiled at him and walked him out into the bedroom. He opened the drawer set aside for Riley's clothes. “What do you want to wear?”

Riley looked at the drawer and looked through all the clothes. He touched each pair of jeans and all the shirts. He smiled at many of them, delighted by the idea of wearing them.

Maxwell watched him carefully. “Which shirt do you want to wear today?”

That's when Riley realized he had to choose just one. He looked at all of the shirts and frowned. He liked all of the clothes. How could he chose?

Maxwell rubbed his shoulder softly. “Do you want Daddy to pick something out for you?”

Riley nodded and hugged Maxwell's waist.

“Hey, do you want to come sit with me while you wait,” Corey offered from the bed.

Riley looked up and ran over to him. He climbed into Corey's lap and smiled. Corey was wearing short sleeves. Riley openly stared at the tattoos that covered Corey's arms.

“You can touch them.”

Riley felt over Corey's arm. He looked at each picture. Corey pulled his sleeves up so Riley could see them all. The pictures kept Riley's attention until Maxwell walked over to the bed.

Maxwell handed the clothes to Corey. He clearly wasn't expecting it. It was a surprise, but Corey was excited to be included. Corey picked up the shirt and pulled it over Riley's head. Riley shook his head to flip his hair out of his face.

“Put your arms through.”

Riley pushed at the shirt, searching for the arm holes. It didn't take long for him to find it. Pants were harder so Corey sat him on the bed and put his underwear and pants on around his ankles. Riley pulled them up on his own, but Corey did the buttons and zipper.

“How handsome,” Corey smiled. “Shoes, then we're off to the movies.”

“Dory!” Riley cheered.


	2. Respect Matters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be going back to posting every Saturday. This chapter includes a detailed punishment scene

Maxwell escorted Corey and Riley out of the theater, tossing the bag of popcorn into the trash as they left the building. Riley was held on to Corey's arm as he was dragged along, too tired to walk completely on his own. He usually found it odd when Maxwell carried him somewhere, but now he wouldn't mind. He would prefer being carried than walking all the way to the car.

 

“Did you like the movie?” Maxwell asked as he held the door open for the two of them.

 

Riley nodded drowsily. 

 

“I think someone got a little sleepy,” Corey smiled. 

 

“Well, in that case, we should probably head home instead of going to the mall,” Maxwell stated, testing Riley to see how tired he really was.

 

Riley looked up at him quickly, clearly paying attention now. He shook his head. He didn't want to go home. He wanted to go to the mall. 

 

“You think you're awake enough to go shopping?”

 

Riley smiled and nodded quickly.

 

“Alright. We can walk from here.”

 

The mall was only a few blocks away. Riley frowned, his legs were tired, but he wanted to go to the mall. There were so many people around. He stayed close to Corey and Maxwell so he didn't get taken away. When they passed by a kid’s store in the mall, he tugged on Corey's arm. He didn't have to say anything, Corey just smiled and guided him into the store. Maxwell stayed a few paces behind them, knowing that hovering would take away the dominance that Corey was seeking.

 

They walked up and down the aisles. In one aisle, a lady was standing on a ladder, putting stuffed animals up on a high shelf. A stuffed dog fell from the ladder. Corey let go of Riley's hand to catch it.

 

“Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry.” The lady rushed down the ladder quickly, her firey curls bouncing on her shoulders. 

 

“No, it's ok. A stuffed animal won't do much damage,” Corey smiled as he handed her the stuffed dog.

 

“You've got a point,” she agreed. “Can I help you find anything?” she offered softly.

 

Corey looked over at Riley. “Do you know what you want?”

 

Riley looked at the dog in her arms and pointed at it.

 

“Well of course,” she smiled as she handed it over to Riley. 

 

“If you're giving things away, I'd really like to have your shirt,” Corey smirked.

 

Her smile dropped immediately. Riley couldn't tell if this was her natural face or her angry face. The pursed lips and narrow eyes looked so natural on her face. Maybe she was angry a lot. Her eyes deepened as her mouth opened slightly. No words came out. Her lips remained slightly parted and the silence said more than words ever could. 

 

“Corey, leave the nice lady alone,” Maxwell demanded soft enough to not raise any red flags while in public. 

 

“Come on. It was a joke. Plus you know she has a great rack under that shirt,” Corey said lightheartedly.

 

Maxwell's eyes narrowed as he pushed his eyebrows together.  His nostrils flared and he set his jaw at the blatant disrespect to him and the young woman. 

 

“Seeing as though I keep a switchblade and a pocket knife on me at all times, I suggest you keep my rack out of your vocabulary,” she threatened quietly.

 

Maxwell looked at Corey, knowing he deserved the threat. Riley cowered at her tone, even though it wasn't directed at him. Maxwell reached for Riley's hand calmly and changed the topic. “We would like to look at sippy cups if you wouldn't mind.”

 

The young woman nodded respectfully and returned to her typical work persona. Her lips curled into a subtle smile. Her eyebrows raised a bit higher, opening her face to a light glow. She walked to the aisle with sippy cups. Her steps reminded Riley of the way Maxwell walked to the bathroom in the morning. Each step was precise, but effortless. She walked lightly, and unlike Maxwell, she spent most of the time on the balls of her feet.

 

“Do you want a blue one?” the young woman asked when she stopped in front of a shelf full of sippy cups.

 

Riley nodded. He already had the blue camo print one that Corey bought him, but he still liked blue a lot. More blue was more good.

 

Maxwell reached for a big blue sippy cup with a red lid. “How about this?”

 

Riley held it in both hands and looked it over. It didn't feel right in his hands. He shook his head.

 

Maxwell put it back and pulled down a blue one with a yellow lid and yellow handles on the side. 

 

Riley held the handles, they were squishy. He smiled and held it close. When he looked up, the lady was smiling at him. “I think we've got a winner. Bibs and pacifiers are further down if you want to look at those.”

 

Maxwell shook his head, remembering that Riley didn't like it when Corey suggested it before. He noticed Riley in his periphery, nodding. Riley stopped when he noticed Maxwell saying no. Maybe he wasn't wasn't allowed to have one.

 

“Do you want one, sweetheart?” Maxwell asked.

 

Riley shook his head, suddenly ashamed.

 

“No, it's ok. You said no before. If you changed your mind, you can have one.  It's ok,” Maxwell assured him. “Do you want one?”

 

Riley nodded slowly. The lady started walking down the aisle and showed them the pacifiers. She pulled two boxes off of the shelf. One box had a set of blue pacifiers. Some were plain, but some had planets and rocket ships on them.  The other box was mostly green with dinosaurs. “Blue or dinosaurs?” she asked as she lifted each box. 

 

Riley looked a little confused. How did she know he liked dinosaurs? Did she remember his from last time? Did she think that he must like them because he's a boy.

 

“You had the dinosaur sippy cup last time, right?”

 

Riley nodded and pointed at the dinosaur ones. This seemed to satisfy her. She smiled, probably proud that she was right. She handed him the box and put the others on the shelf.

 

“Anything else?” she asked, directing the question at Maxwell and Riley. 

 

Riley tugged on Maxwell's arm eagerly. Maxwell looked at him, expecting him to speak up. Riley looked over at the lady. He bit his lip nervously and pulled on Maxwell's arm until he leaned over so he could whisper in his ear. 

 

Maxwell nodded and stood up straight. “Do you have any racecars?”

 

The lady thought for a moment. “We only have the big ones.” She lead them to a small area for toys. There we cars lined up. They were big enough to fill Riley's hand when he picked them up. He nodded his approval. 

 

Maxwell took the pacifiers from Riley's hand and held them so he had his arms free. “You can get three.”

 

Riley grabbed the red one first. It looked like a really fast car. Then he saw a blue one. He took that one too. He looked at the shelf for a moment before making his final decision to take a green one. It looked like the car on his pajamas. 

 

“Anything else I can help you find?” the lady offered. 

 

“No, this is all we need. Thank you for your assistance Miss-,” Maxwell leaned closer to read her name tag. “Miss Abigail.”

 

“You are more than welcome. I can help you check out,” she said as he walked to the cash register. 

 

Maxwell put everything on the counter and she scanned it all before strategically placing it in bags. 

 

She waved as they left. Riley smiled and waved back with his free hand while the other held onto Maxwell. Since Maxwell was carrying bags, Riley held on to his wrist As they walked back to the movie theater where they left the car, many people gave them strange looks. 

 

A tall, muscular man in a button up shirt tucked into his slacks with a short, slim blond man with his hair tussled on top of his head holding on to his arm while wearing jeans and a t-shirt, as well as the average sized man with a low buzz cut wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt under his t-shirt, walking beside them. They must have been quite a sight.

 

When they got to the car, he ushered Riley into the backseat and put bags on the other side. He closed the door and looked directly at Corey. “I don't ever want to see you act that disrespectful to anyone ever again. Do you understand?”

 

Corey rolled his eyes and sat in the passenger's seat. Maxwell took a calming breath and got in the car as well. The drive home was rather quiet. Riley fell asleep almost immediately. 

 

Corey carried the bags inside and put them in Riley's room. Maxwell carried Riley into the living room. He sat on the couch and rocked him slowly. Maxwell rested his head comfortably against Riley's and closed his eyes.

 

Riley stirred in his lap. Maxwell held him tighter and placed a kiss on the top of his head. Riley looked up at him. “Were you asleep?”

 

“Just resting my eyes,” Maxwell clarified.

 

“Sure,” Riley laughed.

 

“How are you feeling?” Maxwell asked as he stroked Riley's sides.

 

“I'm fine,” Riley smiled.

 

“Good. Corey put all of the bags in your room. Go put your toys away and bring the empty bags to me,” Maxwell instructed.

 

Riley nodded and crawled out of his lap. He stood tall and stretched out from his fingers to his toes. When he stopped, Maxwell smacked his butt. “Don't stall.”

 

Riley laughed. “I'm not stalling, just waking up.”

 

Maxwell smiled as he watched Riley go down the hall.

 

Riley put all of his bags on the bed and opened them one by one. He put the sippy cup and pacifiers on the tall dresser. He lined the cars on the edge of his racetrack rug.

 

Corey peeked into his room. “Playing with your new cars?”

 

Riley looked up at him. “Hey. I'm just putting everything up.” He grabbed the new sippy cup. “This probably needs to be washed. Just in case.” He walked passed Corey and went into the kitchen.

 

Corey followed close behind him. “What?”

 

Riley put the sippy cup in the dishwasher. “Just in case there are germs and stuff.”

 

“We went out to the movies and then he bought all that shit and you aren't even going to use it?”

 

Riley was surprised by Corey's tone. “I can use it later. I just don't want to tonight.”

 

“You're such an ungrateful little-”

 

Max interrupted, “Corey, it's time for you to calm down.”

 

“Don't tell me to calm down!” Corey shouted. “It's  _ your _ fault he's like this. You let him get away anything!”

 

“I run things the way I want. If I don't like the way he is acting, I correct him. And if you step out of line, I'll put you back in your place.” Max stepped close to Corey and towered over him. “Do not test me. After your behavior in the mall and this little outburst, my patience is wearing thin. Do you understand?”

 

It was in that moment that Riley understood their arrangement. It wasn't some hot three way relationship. It wasn't a kinky bdsm setup with Maxwell on top, then Corey, and Riley on bottom. Corey wasn't truly in the relationship. He and Maxwell didn't share the same bond as Riley and Maxwell had.

 

They didn't bring Corey into their relationship, they adopted Corey as a lost puppy. He didn't have a home so Maxwell gave him one. It was that simple. Corey needed to be submissive and trusted Maxwell. Maxwell gave Corey what he needed. Corey needed to be punished and directed.

 

But Corey was a switch. He had to be dominant too, not as often, but it was important. Maxwell would never be submissive, but Riley could. All the time he spent getting to know Corey wasn't to convince him to have a threesome, it was to make sure he was comfortable enough to let Corey be dominant with him.

 

This wasn't a long term plan. Maybe they didn't adopt Corey at all. Maybe they were just fostering him, making sure his needs were taken care of until he found a permanent home. 

 

Something about the thought relieved a tension in Riley that he didn't know existed. He wouldn't lose Maxwell. Maxwell wasn't in love with Corey. Corey was his friend and he needed help, so Maxwell helped him. He wasn't sharing Maxwell. Maxwell was his first, no matter what. He didn't need to keep Corey at arms length. Corey didn't want to come between them.

 

Max’s calm was wearing thin. Corey didn't respond to him, but he also didn't back down. Max stood firmly in place with his arms folded. “No one is forcing you to be here, Corey. You know that. If you want to leave, you may. But if you want to stay here, you have to follow the rules and that includes respecting others.”

 

Corey's hands balled into tight fists by his sides. He was almost shaking with anger. He took in a deep breath and Riley expected a reluctant apology. Instead, Corey spit.

 

He spit, clearly aiming at Max's face, but it landed on his neck instead. The moment it took for Riley to realize what happened was all the time Max needed to wrap his hand around Corey's neck.

 

The pressure was sure to leave finger shaped marks in Corey's neck. Maxwell pulled Corey closer, refusing to make the effort of taking the two steps towards Corey. Instead, Corey was forced to walk on his tiptoes as Max pulled him closer. “You'll regret that,” Max growled.

 

Max stepped forward and Corey was forced to step backwards to avoid being trampled. He was lead into the bedroom and forced to stand at the foot of the bed.

 

“Clothes off.”

 

Corey stood, facing the bed with a stubborn glare on his face.

 

“NOW,” Max demanded.

 

Corey didn't move or even flinch at his tone.

 

The tense expression on Max's face faded and he was suddenly calm. He unbuckled Corey's belt and pulled his pants down. He pulled both of Corey's shirts off, over his head. He shoved Corey firmly between his shoulder blades, pushing him to bend over. Corey's face was pressed into the mattress. “Don’t. Move.” 

 

Max stepped away for a moment and Corey stood up straight. In an instant, Max's hand was on the back of his head, pushing him down again. “You are out of warnings. You are making it worse for yourself.”

 

Max took his hand off of Corey's head and kneeled by the foot board. He tied one of Corey's ankles to the foot board. Corey stood up straight. Max didn't give it a second thought when he grabbed the paddle, stood up, and smacked it against Corey's ass firmly.

 

Corey screamed as he fell forward on to the bed. His ass bloomed red as the pain seared through his body. The force surprised him, it was clear the Max used a good amount of his strength.

 

Max tied the second ankle, forcing Corey's legs apart without a word. Corey pushed himself up to stand and Max hit him again, harder.  

 

Corey moaned stubbornly as he was forced forward on to the bed again. Max grabbed his arm and used a longer rope to tie his wrist to the headboard, pulling the rope taut until Corey had to stretch out fully. Corey pulled at the rope,  shaking the head board until Max grabbed his other arm and gave it the same treatment. 

 

“You are starting with 20. After each one, you will count out loud. When you miss a number, I will start over. Do you understand?”

 

Corey didn't respond so Max gave him another hit. “Answer me.”

 

Corey nodded. He shifted slightly, not having much room to move. Max immediately noticed how hard Corey was already.

 

Max took a step back and got a full swing to hit Corey appropriately. He paused a second to give Corey a moment to count. He didn't say anything. 

 

Max hit him again. “Count.”

 

“One,” Corey spit out.

 

He counted eat hit until he reached 11, where he stopped counting. Then Max did as promised and started back over at 1. That time he only got to 8, then he moaned between hits and he didn't say the number in time. 

 

The third time he made sure to count immediately after each hit to leave no chance of missing it. He had taken 20 hits, not counting the other warnings before his official spanking. Max was hitting already-forming bruises, making them ache even more. His entire ass was on fire and it was making him harder and harder.

 

Around 15, Max slowed down the pace. Corey couldn't figure out why until 17 when he had to gasp for air between sobs to force out the number. Max could have been being easy with him, or he could see the damage on Corey's ass, knowing he wouldn't be able to take more.

 

Corey was completely still, panting and crying into the mattress after the final hit. He wasn't even sure if he said “twenty” loud enough so he strained his neck to lift his head and shout, “TWENTY.”

 

Max kneeled near the bed and stroked Corey's face. “Apologize.”

 

Corey set his jaw stubbornly, refusing to let Max have everything he wanted.  Max pushed his thumb into Corey's cheek and forced his mouth open slightly. “I can think of some pretty creative ways to use you until you decide to behave,” Max dared.

 

“I'm sorry,” Corey sighed.

 

“Sorry for what?” Max asked softly.

 

“I'm sorry for being disrespectful to you and Riley and the cashier earlier,” Corey said between his cries.

 

“Good boy,” Max whispered as he untied Corey's hands a feet. He sat on the bed and gently rubbed lotion on Corey's ass to ease the pain.

 

Corey pushed himself up onto his hands and knees. He pushed himself forward enough to press his lips against Max’s. 

 

“You think you deserve to cum?”

 

Fresh tears fell from Corey's eyes. He may not have deserved it, but he really needed it. He didn't need to cum, he needed Max's approval and getting permission to cum was the only thing he could think of to symbolize that. “Please.”

 

Max watched Corey try to desperately pull him into a kiss. “Why do you think I should let you cum tonight?”

 

Guilt wrenched in Max's gut as he truly took pleasure in watching Corey beg, desperately needy. “Max…” Corey pulled himself over into Max’s lap and started clinging to him. “Max please… I'm-,” Corey rested his head on Max's shoulder and cried. He couldn't get his thoughts together anymore.

 

Max put his hand firmly on Corey's back and laid him on the bed. He kissed Corey gently and stroked his cheek. “It's ok.”

 

Max pushed his pants off and put on a condom as he kissed down Corey's neck. He spread lube on two fingers and pressed them into Corey. Corey quieted as if Max had popped a pacifier into his mouth.

 

Max stretched him slowly, keeping an eye on Corey's face and general body language. He added a third finger and Corey whined pitifully.

 

“I know. You're doing really good, Corey. You're being such a good boy,” Max praised as he thrusted three fingers in and out of Corey.

 

He coated his dick with lube and leaned forward. He hooked one of Corey's legs over his arm as he pushed into Corey.  As he dipped forward, sliding Corey's leg up to his shoulder, Corey moaned loudly.Max pushed deeper into him.

 

Corey stayed where Max wanted him, satisfied with knowing Max still wanted him. He was forced to stretch around Maxwell's considerable girth. 

 

Soon Max was thrusting in and out of him at a quick pace. Corey kept his hand firmly on Max's sides to avoid touching himself. “Do you want to cum for me?”

 

Corey nodded quickly. “Yes sir, please.”

 

“You can touch yourself, but wait for me to tell you when you can cum.”

 

Corey slowly brought his hand to his cock and stroked himself slowly. He tried to pace himself, but soon he was fisting his cock desperately trying to soak up as much pleasure as he could.

 

“Cum for me.”

 

Corey sucked in air desperately as his orgasm ripped through his body. He came all over his chest. He vaguely noticed Max swelling inside him as he came. 

 

Max tossed the condom into the trash and laid beside Corey. “Good boy. You're such a good boy Corey.”

 

Corey stayed as close to Max as he possibly could. Time stood still as he relaxed into Max's arms. Sometimes he could hear Max's voice. Sometimes it was all static.  

 

He didn't fight it. He melted into Max and left the real world behind. He was content.  No. It was more than that. Max gave him everything he needed and some things he didn't know he needed. He was completely sated, free from all needs. He was-...

 

Max placed a kiss on Corey's forehead forehead and whispered, “Good night.”

 

Just like that, Corey was asleep.

 

Max looked over to Riley and gestured for him to come to bed. Riley rushed to him quickly. He laid beside him and watched Corey. It was so different to watch someone like this. 

 

“Are you ok, Angel?”

 

Riley nodded and rested his head on Max’s shoulder. “I'm good.”

 

“Alright. You should get to sleep too.” He wrapped his arm around Riley's shoulders and kissed his cheek.

 


	3. Chaper 3

Maxwell was awake at his usual time, 6:00 am. Corey hadn't moved and Riley was curled up with a pillow. He reached over and turned off the alarm clock. A few extra hours of rest would be good for them.

At 9:00 am, Riley rolled over and opened his eyes. He was clearly shocked to see Maxwell already awake. “Mornin’,” he mumbled.

“Good morning,” Maxwell whispered.

“What time is it?”

Maxwell glanced at the clock on his nightstand. “9:12.”

“We overslept!” Riley shouted.

“Shh, I turned the alarm off. It's ok,” Maxwell whispered softly so he didn't wake Corey. “We can go in a little late. Corey can show you around today and I'll get some work done.”

“Can we get brunch first?” Riley suggested with a innocent smile.

“I think that's a great idea. I'll wake Corey in 30-45 minutes if he doesn't wake up on his own. Do you want to watch tv until then?”

Riley nodded and took the remote. He turned the volume down as low as he could while still being able hear it. It was a short 30 minutes before Corey woke up. To Riley's surprise, Corey woke up with a violent jerk. He looked around, searching for anything familiar.

Maxwell rubbed his back softly. “Good morning.”

Corey looked up at him and groaned before dropping his head onto Maxwell's chest with a thud.

“Ten more minutes, then we are going to shower and get ready for brunch,” Maxwell informed him.

“Really?” Corey asked as he lifted his head.

Riley smiled and nodded quickly. “Wanna shower with me?”

Corey took no time to think about it before he stood up. Riley rushed to the bathroom, losing clothes on the way. Corey followed and started the water. 

They didn't talk to each other about the previous night, mostly because there was nothing to say. They enjoyed touching and bathing each other in the warm water. Corey rinsed his face and wiped away water with his hands. Riley took the opportunity to push himself up to meet Corey's lips. They both got lost in the intimacy and kissed until the water started to chill.

Opening the bathroom door, Maxwell said, “Guys, I know you aren't bathing for this long. Let's go.”

Riley turned the water off and slowly opened the shower curtain. “Hey,” he smiled with an innocent tilt of his head.

Maxwell handed him a towel. “Hey there. Have you forgot about pancakes?”

“Actually, yeah. A little bit,” Riley admitted as he stepped out of the shower and dried off.

“I want to be at the office by 11:30, so if we don't have time to get brunch it will be your own fault.”

“That's not fair,” Corey whined.

“It's very fair,” Maxwell responded as he tossed Corey a towel.

Corey let out a frustrated sigh and dried off quickly. He winced slightly when he ran the towel over his ass.

The promise of pancakes encouraged them to dress quickly. Riley stumbled a few times trying to get his pants and shoes on. Corey put on his under shirt on backwards, but refused to change it even after Maxwell pointed it out. He put on loose sweatpants, but Maxwell made no effort to stop him. Their eagerness helped them along to make it to brunch in a good amount of time. They made it to the office at 11:27.

“Alright. I have to get some work done. I'll try to be done at 5, but if you need anything I'll be in my office, ok?”

Corey and Riley nodded. “We'll be just fine,” Corey smiled. “I'll show him everything.”

Riley pulled up a folding chair and sat beside Corey at his desk. Corey sat down slowly into his usual chair. It clearly pained him, but he remained quiet.

“So when I get here, the first thing I do is get Maxwell's schedule,” Corey explained. “Sometimes I do it the day before. And before I give Maxwell his schedule I always check for any messages or emails that may alter his schedule for the day.”

Riley nodded. That seemed simple enough.

As the day went on, Corey's job became more and more precise. It seemed like there was a protocol for everything. Certain events and companies had more priority over others. And you must know them because if you interrupt Maxwell's work over something that's not important you'll be in trouble. 

Most things were forwarded through email, but sometimes the phone rang and Corey had to keep track of messages, times, and importance. 

“If I were you, I would make a list and color coordinate it. List them by importance and then mark with certain colors to know if you should email or call Maxwell,” Corey suggested. 

“If I work here that's the first thing I would do,” Riley replied, a little overwhelmed by it all.

“Let me show you the routine for the end of the day before you decide anything. I usually start around 4.”

Riley watched as Corey scanned through emails, confirmed the appointments for the next day, and typed an official schedule for the next day that would be ready to print the next day. 

“I know this was a lot, but you can handle it right? I'll only be a few feet away if you need help or anything.”

Riley smiled. “It doesn't seem too bad. I just have to convince Max to let me work here.”

“I don't think it will be too hard. I'm sure deep down he really wants you here so he can keep an eye on you all the time.” Corey gave him a suggestive wink that made Riley laugh.

“Is that so?” Maxwell's voice boomed.

As the shock faded, Corey smiled. “Of course.”

Maxwell shook his head at him and lead both men out to the parking lot. When they left the building, Corey noticed a man near the front entrance in a heavy coat. He wasn't doing anything, just leaning against the building. It couldn't be comfortable wearing all those layers. He looked casually content.

Corey dismissed it quickly as life continued on. He climbed into the backseat of Maxwell's car.

"How was your day?" Maxwell asked, clearly wondering how Riley felt about working for him.

Corey spoke up eagerly. "It was great. Explaining everything out loud made my job sound much more complicated than it feels."

Riley nodded along. "There are lots of rules, but I'm sure those become second nature the longer you work there."

"Do you want to work there?" Maxwell asked openly.

"Yes," Riley answered.

"Ok. I'll need your résumé."

Riley was quiet and began twirling his thumbs. Maxwell looked over at him. "Do you have a résumé?"

"I do... It's in Texas," Riley whispered.

"It's ok. I'm sure you can go get it. You said you have roommates. Maybe they can mail it to you?" Corey suggested.

"I haven't talked to them in a really long time," Riley confessed.

The people he called his best friends were the same people he argued with and left without saying goodbye. He sent them his part of the rent every month, but he stopped putting a note with it saying he's ok. He stopped texting them every day, or even every week. They were supposed to be friends. Then they started keeping secrets and stopped talking. How could he even call them friends anymore?

All three men went inside to Maxwell's apartment. Corey and Riley sat on the couch. Corey was stroking Riley's leg comfortingly. Maxwell went through his routine then sat on the other side of him.

"What would you like to do, sweetheart?" Maxwell asked as he put an arm Riley's shoulders.

Riley let out an audible sigh. "Do you remember my list?"

Corey looked at him with slight confusion, but Maxwell nodded.

"I really like it here. I think of this as my home. I know you are ok with taking care of me, but I want to work," Riley explained.

"So you don't want to move in until you have the job?" Corey asked as he tried to keep up with the conversation.

Riley nodded. "But if I go all the way to Texas to get my résumé, I should go ahead and pack."

"Corey had a good idea. You could ask them to mail it to you. So you'll have your résumé to get the job and you can go pack later."

"Yeah, but I don't exactly know where it is. I would have no way to tell them where to look. Plus, I don't really want them going through my room,” Riley explained.

"Just because you go get the résumé, doesn't mean you have to pack. There's plenty of time," Maxwell reassured. “We can make another trip.”

"If I move out, you won't have to pay the extra rent," Riley pointed out.

"I don't mind."

Riley looked up at Maxwell. "Do you want me to live here?"

"You basically already do," Corey laughed.

Maxwell smiled. "I'd love for you to live with me."

"So if I go, you'll come help me pack?" Riley asked quietly.

"Of course."

"I'll come too," Corey exclaimed.

"Should we wait until this weekend or can you take a day or two off?" Riley asked anxiously.

Corey spoke up quickly, knowing Maxwell would ask about their schedule. "You have a meeting at 7am."

Maxwell nodded and checked his phone for available flights. "I'll go to my meeting at 7, then I'll come pick you two up so we can get a late breakfast then catch our flight."

"Speaking of food..." Corey added with a smile.

"Dinner time!" Riley chimed in.

"I'm glad you brought that up. I know exactly what to make.” Maxwell smiled as he went into the kitchen.

Corey and Riley stayed on the couch, talking about Riley roommates and what Texas was like. Riley thickened his accent just to make Corey laugh. He showed Corey pictures of him in cowboy boots and they both laughed. High school was an embarrassing time. Even though he lived there, Riley never really wore boots unless he needed them. He was much more comfortable in a pair of Converse.

Eventually the smell of food caught their attention and they both wandered into the kitchen. Maxwell cleared the counter to set up a taco buffet. Hard and soft shells were on the far left followed by ground beef, refried beans, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, jalapeños, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa.

"Whoa!" Corey shouted as he grabbed a plate and grabbed shells.

Riley paused and looked over at Maxwell's white couch. He went into the hall closet and pulled out a big blanket. He tossed it in the floor tried to push the couch. Maxwell watched curiously for a moment before stepping in to help. 

They pushed the couch completely out of the way, against the wall. Riley grabbed the blanket and spread it out on the floor, covering the rug. 

Maxwell finally spoke up. "What are you doing sweetheart?"

"I used to do this with my roommates when we ate something messy and wanted to spread out. It's like an indoor picnic and no one has to clean up afterwards. Just put the blanket in the wash."

Maxwell was thoroughly impressed. It was a good idea. He would have never considered the idea, but he also didn't eat tacos on his couch. This would definitely protect his couch. On the other hand, he would have to eat in the floor. 

Corey plopped down devoured his third taco. Riley grabbed a plate and made a plate full of tacos. Maxwell made a plate as well, carefully preparing each one and lining them up beside each other. The two of them joined Corey on the floor and Riley played a movie.

"I love this movie! Jackie Chan and Chris Rock make an awesome pair," Corey cheered.

Maxwell watched Corey and Riley more than the movie. He loved seeing how much they enjoyed the simple things. They were sitting in the floor with a couple of tacos and watching a comedy yet they were as happy as two kids on Christmas morning. It seemed silly, but part of him was jealous. It had been a while since he took time to experience the small things.

They stacked the plates on the corner of the blanket after everyone got seconds. Corey and Riley curled up in the floor while Maxwell picked up the plates and refrigerated leftover food.

When he came back, Riley had started the sequel. He sat on the blanket and watched the screen this time. Before the movie ended, Corey and Riley were both asleep. Maxwell turned off the tv after he finished the movie. He carefully pulled Riley from Corey's arms and carried him to the bed. He pulled blankets over him and went back into the living room, giving Corey the same care.

The moment they were reunited, Corey and Riley were tangled together again. Maxwell stripped down until he was comfortable and laid beside them.

_____

 

Maxwell followed through with his schedule. He woke up early, careful not to wake Corey or Riley, and went to his meeting. 

He called Corey when he left the office. No response. He called Riley. No response.

He knew the alarm he set must have gone off by now so they should be awake. He walked into the apartment and looked into the bedroom to see why they weren't answering the phone. 

The shower was running and the bed was empty. He peeked into the bathroom and saw Corey and Riley's clothes all over the bathroom floor. He shook his head and started making the bed.

As he finished tidying up, the shower stopped. Riley ran out of the bathroom naked and jumped on the bed. When he saw Maxwell standing near the closet, he froze.

“Good to know you two are awake,” Maxwell stated plainly.

“Yes, thanks for your little alarm,” Corey said as he sauntered out of the bathroom completely naked.

“I called you just to make sure. I'm glad you're up. Go ahead and get dressed. Pack for about 3 days,” Maxwell instructed. 

Riley rolled off of the bed, leaving a damp Riley shape on the comforter. He yanked the towel out of Corey's arms and dried off. When Riley threw the towel over his head to dry his hair, Corey tackled him on to the bed. Riley let out a surprised scream.

“Boys, enough. I will separate you,” Maxwell warned.

Corey and Riley looked up at him, both wondering if he would go through with it.

Maxwell raised an eyebrow at them. “Riley, get up. Your suitcase is in the spare room. You can get dressed and pack in there. Corey, you can use one of my suitcases. You'll stay in here and get ready. Now, go.”

Riley scurried to his feet and skipped across the hall. Corey glared and hopped to his feet. He tugged on some clean enough jeans and a long sleeved shirt. He wandered around the room tossing clothes into an open suitcase that Maxwell had put on the bed. He added shoes and underwear on top and zipped up the suitcase. “All done,” he announced. 

Maxwell tossed him the keys to his car. “My suitcase is by the front door. Take your suitcase and mine out to my car and put it in the trunk.”

Corey walked into his old Vanns that were probably black at one time. He held the keys between his teeth and rolled his suitcase to the living room.

When Maxwell heard Corey close the front door he went into the spare room. Riley's suitcase was packed up with everything nicely folded. Maxwell smiled and walked up behind him. He kissed Riley's neck tenderly. “I see you packed everything all nice and neat.”

Riley smiled proudly. “Mmhmm. Now I just have to get dressed.”

“Wear the white shirt with the black sleeves,” Maxwell instructed with a little more demand than a simple suggestion.

Riley looked through the drawer and pulled out the correct shirt. He tugged it on over his head and pushed his arms through. He could feel Maxwell smiling behind him as he dressed.

“And the black jeans I like,” Maxwell continued.

Riley knew the jeans. Maxwell liked them because they fit loose on him, but hugged his hips. Usually Maxwell wanted him to wear them without underwear. 

Riley fished out his jeans and yanked them on over his hips. He slipped on some shoes and smiled as he saw Maxwell watching him. “Happy?”

“Very,” Maxwell said, obviously pleased. “Now you just have to brush your hair.”

Riley paused as he realized that he already packed his brush. He turned to the mirror and ran his fingers through his hair until it looked appropriate. 

“Good enough,” Maxwell said as he picked up Riley's suitcase. 

They passed Corey in the living room and all three went to Maxwell's car. They stopped at an IHOP, which wasn't too busy since it was late Tuesday morning. 

Corey and Riley ordered chocolate chip pancakes. Maxwell had a loaded omelet with black coffee. Corey ordered milk, but Riley wanted orange juice. He drank so much orange juice that he didn't finish his pancakes, but Corey made sure nothing was wasted.

Maxwell paid for them and tipped generously for the waitress that brought refill after refill to the table. He drove to the airport and made sure to stop next to the bathroom. “Does anyone need to go to the bathroom?”

Corey and Riley shook their head.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Riley whined. 

“Riley, you drank three and a half glasses of orange juice. Are you sure you don't want to go to the bathroom? It's a four hour flight.”

Riley sighed and went into the bathroom. By the time he came back, Corey decided to go try as well. Maxwell went last.

They were only 10 minutes early for their flight. Maxwell preferred to be much earlier, but 10 minutes was good enough. They got seated and Riley had an empty carry on to hold important things that he wanted to bring on the flight back.

Riley sat beside Maxwell and Corey was across the aisle.

Just before take off, Riley texted Josh to let him know know he would be back in town in a few hours. He turned his phone off and pushed it down in his pocket.

Riley leaned against Maxwell's shoulder and sighed.

_____

 

The first stop was the hotel. Everyone wanted to unload the bags and use the bathroom before anything else. Maxwell offered to drive him to take him to his apartment, but Riley refused. He declined getting something to eat as well.

They called two Uber cars, one to take Riley to his apartment and one to take Maxwell and Corey to a rental car place. Maxwell wasn't a fan of depending on someone else to drive him. Corey convinced him to stop at a Central Park just to try the food. Good news, he loved it and made Maxwell make another trip through the drive thru before heading back to the hotel.

Riley didn't enjoy himself quite as much. He dreaded the entire ride to his apartment. His phone had been on for almost hour, but he didn't have any messages from Josh.

He pushed his key into the lock and turned it until he heard the very familiar click. When he opened the door, he immediately noticed a difference. The place wasn't empty, but it only had the essentials to make it clear that someone still lived there. The other things seemed to be piled up near the kitchen. 

Destiny and Josh looked at the door when he opened it. They were standing near the pile of random things by the kitchen. Destiny had a notepad in her hands, which she put down when she saw him. 

"Hey, you're back," she smiled. It wasn't her usual cheerful smile, it was small and cautious.

"Yeah, I texted you," he said, just as cautious. "What's going on?"

"Um, just selling some things we don't really need to make a little money," she said casually as she crossed the living room to meet him.

"We put everything that you bought in your room," Josh added quickly.

Destiny embraced him. It was firm and soothing. She always gave the best hugs. Her hair fell across his face, and it smelled sweet.

"Ah, the famous Destiny hug. I've missed you," Riley said as he wrapped his arms around her.

She pulled him over to the couch so they could sit.

"It's been so long since we talked. How've you been? Where's Maxwell? Where's your suitcase? How long are you staying?"

Riley laughed at Destiny's continuous questions. "I'm fine. Maxwell is at a hotel with one of our friends who wanted to see Texas. My stuff is at the hotel too. I'm not sure how long I'm staying yet. It will probably be a few days."

"How are things with you and Maxwell?" Josh asked as he sat beside Destiny.

Riley couldn't help but smile at the mention of Maxwell. "We're good, really good."

Josh smiled at Riley's reaction. "You seem happy."

"I am. I haven't-," Riley stopped to get his thoughts together. "I haven't been this happy with someone in a really long time."

Destiny smiled and rested her hand on Riley's knee. "I'm so happy for you."

"Thanks, how are you two? Are things good?" 

Destiny looked over at Josh and smiled. "Yeah."

Josh smiled at her and rubbed her back gently.

Destiny sighed and looked at Riley. "I'm trying not to be nosey, but you and Maxwell are really close."

"Destiny," Josh warned quietly.

"I have to know," she defended. "You're with him a lot and you say things are great... Do you really want to live here? It seems like a waste of money."

"Why? Do you want to get a new roommate?" Riley asked quickly, as if he wasn't thinking about leaving 24 hours ago.

"No, that's not it. We couldn't replace you," Destiny assured him.

"Well, I can't leave you paying for a three bedroom."

Josh spoke up, "You don't have to worry about that. It's important that you and Maxwell would be comfortable with you officially moving in."

Riley nodded even though he wasn't comfortable abandoning them.

"Plus, we've been thinking about it. It's inevitable that you will move out eventually. We decided that we wouldn't get another roommate. We would just go to a smaller place. Like a small two bedroom," Destiny said, trying not to push him out.

"Two bedroom? Wouldn't a one bedroom be cheaper?" Riley asked.

Josh and Destiny shared a glance, then Josh spoke up, "We decided that we might need the extra room. Plus there is a duplex that Destiny really likes."

Riley looked back and forth between them several times. "Wow. That's a lot of information. Extra room? Why would you need that? Are you-"

Destiny was smiling before he finished the question. "We don't know for sure."

"Oh my god!" Riley screamed as he hugged her tight.

"I was going to wait until we were sure, but you know how I am with secrets," she laughed. 

"Wait, the duplex. Have you been looking for places?"

"Are you mad?" she asked timidly.

Suddenly, it all fell together. Why they were getting rid of stuff, why they didn't talk much, why they were asking so much about him and Maxwell: they wanted Riley to move out. After all that time of Riley being nervous about bringing it up, they were just as nervous. The relief that rushed over him caused him to laugh.

He laughed and laughed until he couldn't breathe. He laughed until his stomach hurt. He laughed until Destiny and Josh became a little worried.

Destiny put her hand on his back. "Are you ok?"

"I-... I'm applying for a job," Riley took a break to laugh then continued. "I came here to get my résumé and pack up the rest of my things, but I was afraid you wouldn't want me to go."

Destiny looked at him for a while and burst into giggles. Soon, all three were laughing. Destiny cried when she laughed, but she only stopped laughing when she had to use the bathroom.

The laughter died off when Josh and Riley were alone.

Josh stopped laughing with a sigh. "It's amazing how much can change in a few months. I mean, I didn't expect to be a dad picking out houses."

Riley smiled. "Yeah, I didn't expect to be moving to Washington with Maxwell and getting a job at a fancy office building."

Destiny walked out of the bathroom smiling. "Look at us being adults. Ooh! Can I call and see if the duplex is available?"

Josh nodded and she ran to her phone and called immediately.

"When does the lease end?" Riley asked, hoping the timing would add up.

"I think it's another two or three months," Josh answered.

"I'll pay my part until then. No problem," Riley nodded.

Destiny put the phone down, but didn't look as happy as she did when she called.

"What's wrong?" Josh asked immediately.

"They said we could schedule a viewing, but they are looking for someone to move in about three weeks from now," she pouted.

"We can go to the showing. Maybe they can rethink the move-in date, and if not there's always other places," Josh said as he pulled her into a hug.

Destiny nodded. "You're right. It's not the end of the world. We can officially start planning though."

"Mmhmm. Do you need any help packing?" Josh asked.

Riley shook his head. "I'll mostly take my clothes. You can have my TV and furniture. You can sell it or whatever. Call it a house warming gift."

Josh smiled. "Thanks."

Riley texted Maxwell asking him and Corey to stop by a store to get boxes and tape then come over.

When they arrived, Riley opened the door for them and went through introductions. Destiny hopped up and greeted them both with a hug. 

“Oh, you're friendly,” Corey said, clearly surprised. 

“Yeah, she's a hugger,” Riley smiled as he pulled Destiny off of Corey. 

“It's nice to meet you. I'd offer you something, but we've been so busy. There's nothing in the kitchen but juice,” Destiny said as she frantically looked around for something to make up for it. 

“It's fine, Des,” Riley said reassuringly. “We're just packing up.”

She continued looking around until Josh stood up and wrapped his arms around her. “Destiny. I'm pretty sure when someone helps you move, you give them pizza and beer.”

“Yes,” she screamed as she jumped out of his arms. “Pizza and beer! I can do that!”

“You know that you can't drink beer, right?” Josh asked as he watched her run across the room. 

Maxwell gave Riley a confused look. 

“Oh, I meant to tell you. She's pregnant,” Riley announced. 

Maxwell nodded. “Congratulations.”

“Coke! I'll order pizza and coke,” she announced from the kitchen as she called in the order. 

“I'd run now before she gets off of the phone,” Josh warned with a smile. 

Corey laughed and wandered down the hallway. Maxwell followed with collapsed boxes in his arms and guided him to Riley's room. Riley was a few steps behind them. He closed the door behind them and looked around. 

This was his room.


	4. Chaper 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Response to comments, reviews and messages:   
> Does Riley do a voice when he is little?   
> It really depends on how you imagine him talking when he isn't little. Riley has a rather high pitched voice so his tone doesn't change and he doesn't mispronounced words, but he is much more shy and nervous which comes across in the way he speaks. 
> 
> Is their relationship growing or coming to cease?  
>  It is definitely growing. The honeymoon stage is ending, but their bond is stronger. They are both more sure of the relationship compared to the beginning when it was unknown whether this would be a one time thing, FWB, or serious relationship. 
> 
> Has Max said ‘I love you’ to Riley?   
> Yes.

This was his room. This was his life. This was how he imagined himself mere months ago. This was what he called home. Why did it feel so foreign now? It felt like coming home from a long vacation. How did he live like this?

 

The bed was in the center of the room.  He had a small dresser to hold his TV, a decent sized mirror, and his Xbox. There were clothes scattered in the floor. Band posters covered the walls, abstract art with men standing in foreground. They were all fundamentally the same, but each reminded him of a different song and held a different memory.

 

The weight settled on his shoulders like an overfilled backpack - the weight of the past. Not to mention the weight that all of these things were now in his past. Sure, he still listened to the same music, but he saw his life with nice picture frames on the wall instead of on posters. He wanted his clothes nicely put away where he could find things easier instead of thrown on the floor. He wanted to live in the city with Maxwell instead of here in the suburbs of Texas.

 

“I want to live with you,” Riley blurted out.

 

Maxwell combed his fingers through Riley's hair. “Then we should pack up all of your things and get going.”

 

Corey jumped over piles of clothes, landing on clear areas on his way from the door over to the bed to sit. Maxwell stood as usual. He stayed relatively close to the door.

 

Corey looked around. “Well look at that. Someone had a rough childhood.”

 

“Shut up, my childhood was fine,” Riley snapped back.

 

Maxwell tossed the collapsed boxes on the bed with Corey. “Since you are sitting, you can build boxes. Riley, I'll help you fold and pack clothes.”

 

Both men nodded and began their assignments. 

 

Corey started building boxes and putting them on the bed all around him. He pulled a marker from his back pocket and wrote shirts on one box and pants on another. 

 

“Can you mark one box ‘Dirty’?” Riley asked as he smelled an old shirt.

 

Corey laughed and wrote ‘DIRTY’ on a third box. 

 

Riley picked clothes up off of the floor and smelled them all. He put the clean things in a pile near Maxwell and threw the rest into his “dirty” box. 

 

Maxwell neatly folded the clothes in the pile and placed them in the correct boxes.

 

There were four boxes stacked by the door when the pizza came. There was one for shirts, pants, shoes, and dirty clothes.

 

“How are things going in there?” Destiny asked to start a conversation.

 

“Very well,” Maxwell answered. “It looks like you have been doing some packing as well.”

 

“We have,” Destiny smiled. “We decided to downsize a bit. Although it looks like we might be moving soon.”

 

Maxwell looked up from his plate.  “Moving?”

 

“Yeah. Riley is leaving and we may be having a baby so we thought it would be nice to get a new place. We're looking at a duplex now, but the dates don't add up. They want someone to move in a few weeks from now, but our lease isn't up for about three months,” Destiny explained. 

 

“That sucks. I'm sure there will be other places opening up,” Corey smiled reassuringly.

 

Maxwell leaned forward and handed Destiny a check. She glanced down at the paper in her hands. It was more than enough to cover their bills for three months. Her eyes widened. “Wh- what is this?”

 

“Just enough for things to be ok here with Riley gone,” Maxwell stated casually. 

 

Josh peeked over Destiny's shoulder. His mouth fell open. “Wow.”

 

Destiny handed him the check back to him. “That's-... that's way too much. We can't take that.”

 

Maxwell refused to accept the check. “Of course you can.”

 

“This is enough to cover all of our bills until our lease ends,” Destiny explained. 

 

“And some left over for a security deposit… or a cheap car,” Josh added.

 

“We can't take this,” Destiny repeated as she put the check on the table.

 

Maxwell picked up the check. “Ok. It's your choice. I will have Riley's part of the bills for the next three months before we leave town. Would you prefer a check or cash?”

 

“It doesn't matter. Whatever you choose is fine,” Destiny smiled. 

 

“We should finish packing,” Riley announced.

 

Corey and Maxwell followed him to the bedroom. They took the things that Destiny and Josh couldn't sell and packed it up to give to Goodwill. Riley carefully put his Xbox, games, and his laptop into protective packaging before putting it in the empty carry on bag he brought for the plane. 

 

All three men went back to the hotel. Maxwell was already working on sending Riley's résumé to his boss and figuring out what steps they needed to take to officially change his address. He ignored the laughing from the other side of the room easily. 

 

Corey, on the other hand, wasn't concerned with the specifics. He was happy for Riley and even happier to tease him about his hometown. They shared laughs and Riley exaggerated his accent just for Corey's amusement.

 

Riley enjoyed every bit of the attention from him. Corey couldn't keep his hands off of him since they entered the hotel room. Corey's hand was on his back guiding him into the room. His hand was on Riley's knee while they sat and talked about what he and Maxwell did while Riley was talking to his roommates. Corey's hand was on his side when they fell back onto the bed laughing at Riley's exaggerated accent. Now, Corey's hand was on his face, gently stroking his cheek. 

 

“You're so cute,” Corey whispered softly. 

 

"In a very rugged way," Riley insisted with the most fierce look he could manage.   
  
Corey's hand, that damn hand, rested on Riley's side and pushed at his shirt until it found bare skin. It ghosted over his hip, causing a light tickle.   
  
"Ruggedly cute?" Corey asked with a quirk of his brow.   
  
"Mmhmm," Riley agreed even though he was more focused on Corey's hand.   
  
He started lightly dragging his nails over the skin. "I think you are more pretty than rugged."   
  
Riley shook his head and shifted away from Corey's hand. "I'm not pretty."   
  
Corey put his hand on Riley's side, firmly this time. He rolled Riley onto his back and hovered over him. "Not even pretty hot?"   
  
Before Riley could answer, Corey's lips were placing kisses across his waist as his hands unbuttoned Riley's jeans. As he pulled the pants off of Riley's hips, he kissed a trail from his belly button down.   
  
"I'm not pretty," Riley said breathlessly.   
  
In one swift motion, Corey moved Riley's cock into his mouth. It was so warm and wet. Corey worked his cock, dragging his tongue across the underside of Riley's cock until he was fully hard. Riley had given plenty of blow jobs, but he didn't receive many in return. The few he did get were never this good.   
  
"Corey."   
  
Corey lifted his head and looked to the other bed in the room. Riley let out an audible sigh when Corey's mouth was no longer surrounding his cock. He blinked a few times and looked over to Maxwell.   
  
Maxwell was still sitting on the bed with Riley's computer on his lap. Riley wasn't sure how much attention Maxwell had been giving to the computer at this point.   
  
"Slow down," Max demanded.   
  
Corey nodded and slowly slipped Riley's cock back into his mouth. He took his time, savoring the taste of Riley slowly dripping precum onto his tongue. Riley's hips twitched anxiously. Corey stroked them slowly, but it only made them twitch more.   
  
Riley placed hand on the back of Corey's head, dragging his fingers over Corey's scalp.   
  
"Riley," Max warned.   
  
He groaned loudly and pushed his hands down by his sides. Maxwell had to be paying attention now.   
  
"Good boy." Max placed lube next to Corey, giving him permission to move forward.   
  
Corey pushed Riley's legs apart easily. He put a little lube on his fingers and pressed them against his hole. The first moan escaped Riley's lips and both fingers slipped inside.   
  
Corey gently pulled them out only to stroke over his hole and push them back in, only to the first knuckle.   
  
Riley gripped the blankets and arched his back. "FUCK. What do you want?"   
  
"Such language," Max whispered as he trailed his fingers over Riley's chest.   
  
Riley glared at him. How dare he talk about language at a time this!

  
Max brought his hand up to Riley's neck. He left his hand still as he spoke. "Is something wrong?"   
  
Riley stayed silent.   
  
Max gripped his throat slowly until Riley had to gasp for air. "I find it odd that you are so offended by Corey thinking you are pretty. You didn't seem to mind when you tried on a dress for me." Max's voice was calm and smooth.   
  
Corey sat up and Riley was thankful because it would be a lot easier for him to stop himself from cumming without Corey's tongue torturing him. "He did what now?" Corey asked, suddenly interested in their conversation.   
  
Max loosened his grip on Riley neck. "Did you not tell him sweetheart?"   
  
Riley shook his head.   
  
"So he doesn't know that you came all over my bathroom floor while looking at yourself the mirror?"   
  
Riley's face erupted in a bright red. "That's... That's cheating. You were fucking me at the time."   
  
"So you enjoy watching yourself get fucked in a dress?" Corey smiled.   
  
"Fuck you," Riley yelled, trying to remain angry as his cock pulsed.   
  
Corey pushed two fingers all the way into Riley with one swift motion. "I'd much rather fuck  _ you _ ." He looked over to Max, silently asking for permission.   
  
Max nodded and Corey pulled his fingers out. Max gestured for Riley to turn over and he did. He raised up on his knees, but kept his face and shoulders pressed to the bed.   
  
Max gave his ass a playful swat. "Good boy."   
  
Riley remained still as Corey thrusted into him. Max sat on the other bed to watch. He enjoyed watching Corey discover more and more of what Riley liked.    
  
With Riley facing him, Max had a great view of the way his face contorted when Corey did something he enjoyed. Max gave in to his own needs and opened his pants enough to free his cock. He stroked himself with smug pride as he watched the way Riley looked to him every once in awhile to make sure he was in the same place, still watching.   
  
Eventually, Corey came, but Riley remained in the same position.   
  
"Riley, come here,” Max instructed.   
  
Riley was across the room in an instant. Max kissed him tenderly. "Very good. Would you like to cum now?"   
  
"Yes Sir," Riley answered quickly.   
  
"Would you like to cum in Corey's mouth?"   
  
Riley nodded. When he turned around to search for Corey, he was kneeling at Riley's feet. He brought Riley's cock into his mouth again, sliding his mouth over it expertly until Riley came. He pulled Corey to his feet desperately, kissing him until he could no longer taste himself on Corey's tongue.   
  
They both looked to Max, who was stroking himself. He gestured for Corey to come to him and guided his cock into Corey's mouth. It took him some time to adjust to the size, but he was eager to make Max cum as well.

 

Riley climbed on the bed beside Max and rested his head on Max's chest. Corey moved the laptop to make room for himself on the bed. 

 

Max wrapped his arm around Riley's shoulders and kissed his forehead.  “How are you feeling Angel?” 

 

“Good,” Riley mumbled into his chest. 

 

Max smiled and looked over to Corey. Corey nodded that he was ok. He curled up behind Riley and spooned him. Max pulled a blanket over all three of them. “Rest for a while, then we'll get dinner.”

 

_____

  
  


Corey was the first to wake up. Riley was still on Maxwell's chest. Maxwell looked just as dangerous when he was asleep. His eyebrows were slightly more relaxed, but still close together. His lips rested in a straight line and the definition in his arms was evident in the dim light. The only really difference was the lack of piercing gaze, which was only hidden behind his eyelids.

 

Corey smiled at the couple and carefully slid off of the bed. He calculated every move as he went to the bathroom to be sure he didn't wake them.

 

On his way back to bed, he stopped to look at the two men still in bed. At that angle, he could see Riley's face. He looked so peaceful. Corey didn't notice it before, but there was a constant look of worry on Riley's face when he was awake. Now that he was sleeping, completely protected by Maxwell's arm resting across his back, he was worry free.

 

Corey sat on the empty bed. He laid down and covered himself up. He didn't go back to sleep, but he closed his eyes and rested. Less than 10 minutes later, he heard someone moving around. He didn't bother to open his eyes, even after he heard footsteps. Someone started crawling into bed with him, probably Riley.

 

“Hey,” Riley whispered.

 

Corey opened his eyes and Riley was inches from his face. Riley smiled brightly, “Are you hungry?”

 

Corey nodded.

 

“McDonald's chicken nuggets?” Riley suggested.

 

“Have fun convincing Maxwell to go into a McDonald's,” Corey said with a slightly sleepy tone.

 

“You'll have to help. Two against one. He can't say no.”

 

Corey looked across room. “I guess you're right.”

 

Riley turned to see what Corey looked at, but it was a moment too late. Maxwell lifted him off of the bed. “I can't say no to what now?”

 

“McDonald's,” Riley said, pleading with his eyes.

 

“You want McDonald's?”

 

Riley nodded. “Chicken nuggets with ketchup.”

 

“And a big mac,” Corey chimed in.

 

Maxwell put Riley down. “Ok, get dressed.”

 

Riley ran across the room and tugged on some pants. Corey took his time getting dressed. Somehow Maxwell was the first to be fully dressed. Corey and Riley bickered in the car about what would be the best food for Maxwell to try. 

 

“The Big Mac is exclusive to McDonald's. It has to be the best option,” Corey argued.

 

“No one likes McDonald's burgers except for the Mcdouble, but  _ everyone  _ loves their chicken nuggets,” Riley snarled.

 

They sat in the drive thru and Maxwell made them quiet down so he order. They sat quietly, waiting to see what he decided on.

 

“I would like two orders of 10 nuggets, two big macs, and three medium fries. Extra ketchup.”

 

“Anything to drink, sir?” a young man asked from the speaker.

 

Maxwell looked to Corey and Riley. They both agreed on Dr. Pepper.

 

“Three Dr. Peppers,” Maxwell answered.

 

He drove to the window to pay and get their food. Everyone remained quiet until he was back on the road.

 

“You ordered both,” Riley pointed out quietly.

 

“Now he can try both decide what's better,” Corey smiled confidently.

 

“Good. He likes chicken nuggets so you'll lose.”

 

“I'm sure I'll like them both,” Maxwell interrupted. “We are going to help Destiny and Josh pack tomorrow so don't stay up too late.”

 

“We are?” Riley asked as he looked up at him.

 

Maxwell nodded.

 

“Oh, I'll let them know,” Riley said as he pulled out his phone and texted Destiny.

 

Corey pulled off his shirt the second they were back into the hotel room. He tossed it in the floor and sat on the bed eager to eat. Riley copied him and tossed his shirt in the floor.

 

“Riley.”

 

He looked up and saw Maxwell looking right at him. He slowly picked it up and put it in his suitcase. Corey smirked as Riley climbed up on the bed beside him. 

 

Riley shoved him playfully, “Shut up.”

 

Maxwell handed Riley his food and sat down.

 

“Hey, where is my food?” Corey complained. 

 

“You'll get your food when you pick up your clothes.”

 

Corey glared at him. “I don't have to do that. You can't boss me around like you do with Riley.”

 

Maxwell shrugged nonchalantly. “Ok.” He reached into the bag and opened a big mac.

 

Corey stood up and reached for the bag. Maxwell grabbed his wrist firmly. “Pick up your shirt.”

 

“No,” Corey insisted as he reached for the bag with his other hand.

 

Max caught his other hand as well. 

 

Corey growled and jerked backwards. Maxwell held his wrists tight and pulled him forward instead. “If you are trying to get yourself another spanking just say so.”

 

Corey jerked away again, but this time Maxwell let him. He bit back the idea that Maxwell might be right and turned away. He picked up his shirt and threw them in his suitcase.  “Happy?”

 

Maxwell handed him his food. “You made the right decision.”

 

Riley jumped in to ease the tension. “Hurry, your food is getting cold and you haven't decided which one you like more.”

 

Maxwell nodded and took a bite of the big mac. He chewed it thoroughly and took another bite. He nodded his approval. “It's not bad.”

 

“And the chicken nuggets?” Riley asked quickly.

 

Maxwell smiled and tried the chicken nuggets. “Better than I expected.”

 

“And the winner is,” Corey started as he did a quick drum roll on his lap.

 

“I like both.”

 

Corey and Riley groaned in unison.

 

Maxwell laughed. “Finish dinner so you can take a shower. Then we'll watch a movie before bed.”

 

“We could save time and shower together,” Corey suggested.

 

“You don't save any time if you shower twice as long,” Maxwell pointed out.

 

“We'll be quick,” Corey said as he swallowed the last bite of his burger.

 

As soon as Riley swallowed what he had in his mouth, Corey pulled him off to the bathroom.

 

Riley giggled as he followed Corey into the bathroom. He pulled his clothes off as soon as the bathroom door closed. Corey turned on the water and stripped quickly. There was a brief moment before Corey had his hands all over Riley once again.

 

Riley enjoyed Corey's hand running all over his body, starting at his hips and moving up his sides, across his chest, gently over his nipples, around to his back, down to his ass, then back to his hips, desperately pulling him closer.

 

“We have to actually be in the water to get clean,” Riley pointed out, hoping that Corey wouldn't argue.

 

Corey took a small step away opened the shower curtain. Riley stepped in first, but Corey was close behind him. He yanked the curtain closed and pressed his chest to Riley's back.

 

“Corey,” Riley gasped.

 

He wrapped his hands around Riley's hips and guided his legs apart with his own legs. His teeth started sinking into his neck and Riley couldn't help but moan. 

 

“If you're too loud, Maxwell will come in here,” Corey warned as he pressed himself against Riley's firm ass.

 

Riley arched his back, grinding his ass against Corey's cock. 

 

“If you want me to be quiet, don't be a tease,” Riley pouted. 

 

Corey held Riley's hips in place. “Are you this mouthy with Maxwell?”

 

“Corey,” Riley whined.

 

Corey smiled and pressed deep into Riley.

 

Riley grabbed at the shower wall desperately, trying to grasp something. Anything. Corey slid into him effortlessly,  without pause. He pulled back until only the head was inside of him and thrusted into him hard. 

 

Riley tried his best to push back into him, but Corey held him still to use as he pleased. Riley bit his lip to stay as quiet as possible, but inevitably moans started to slip out. 

 

Corey's hand clamped over his mouth quickly and he drove into him hard, forcing Riley against the wall. Riley closed his eyes as things got more and more overwhelming. Corey's free hand wrapped around Riley's cock and stroked him quickly.

 

It only caused more moans to fall from Riley's mouth and he stopped making any effort to stop them. It felt too good and he was too lost in it. Corey pushed into him hard and came deep in his ass. Riley gave in to himself and came as well. He gasped for air in the thick steam from the shower.

 

Corey moved back and opened the curtain to let steam out. He pulled Riley to his chest and kissed his forehead. “Deep breaths,” Corey instructed.

 

He took a few moment to let Riley relax before reaching over to close the curtain. Riley stayed pressed to his chest and Corey ran his fingers through his hair.

 

“Time to get clean,” he said softly as he gently applied shampoo to Riley’s hair. 

 

Riley wrapped his arms around Corey and relaxed in his touch. Corey's fingertips slowly massaged his scalp before letting the water run through his hair and adding conditioner. 

 

Corey let Riley stay against him as long as he could, washing down his back slowly before taking a small step back. He lifted Riley's chin and kissed him softly. “How are you feeling?”

 

Riley was quiet and tried to lean against him again. Corey nodded and turned him around so that Riley could lean back against him while he washed the front of Riley's body. “You look so beautiful,” Corey whispered as he rinsed Riley's body.

 

“Let's lay down, ok?” Corey wrapped a towel around Riley and dried him off a bit before taking him back to the bed.

 

Maxwell was sitting on the bed with Riley's laptop. He looked up and sat the computer aside.

 

Maxwell wanted nothing more than to embrace Riley and hold him to his chest, but that only made him consider how much Corey longed to hold someone close and cater to them. His heart melted as Riley opened his eyes to look at him even when Corey wrapped his arms around Riley's waist.

 

Riley closed his eyes and relaxed into Corey's touch. It was different than Maxwell's. Corey held him tightly as if he could squeeze all the loose pieces of Riley back together. Maxwell generally wanted to be sure that he was touching Riley and that was enough. His hand was usually on  Riley's side or gently draped over his body to be sure that if he made a move, Maxwell would notice. Corey was clinging to him, but Maxwell's approach was much more gentle.

 

The room was silent for quite a while. Riley soaked in the feeling of being held. Corey kept Riley close to his chest as long as he could. Maxwell settled for watching them, careful not to overstep Corey.

 

Maxwell closed the laptop and sat it on the bed. The sound caused Corey to look up at him. The expression on his face spoke volumes. Corey could see how much Maxwell needed to be with Riley, he could see how much it hurt to restrain himself. This was the kind of moment that Corey didn't want. He didn't want to come between them. If only he could have made this as casual as the relationship in his head, but the truth was that he really cared for them both. He cared for them individually and as a couple, so he couldn't stand between them.

 

Corey lifted one hand and gestured for Maxwell to come over. Maxwell hesitated for a moment then walked across the room in effortless strides. He chose to lay behind Corey, draping his arm over Corey and resting a hand lightly on Riley's side.

 

Corey's plan to leave after Maxwell laid down evaporated when he felt Maxwell behind him. He had a calming presence that made it hard to stay tense and worried. Maxwell pressed his lips behind Corey's ear. “Did you enjoy the shower?”

 

Corey smiled and nodded. “I think we saved quite a bit of water.”

 

“How eco-friendly of you,” Maxwell smiled.

 

“Yeah, we all know how much Corey loves the environment,” Riley said with sleep thick in his voice.

 

“Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling?” Maxwell asked as he stroked Riley's side gently.

 

Riley simply nodded in response.

 

“Do you want to watch a movie or go to sleep?”

 

“Sleep,” Riley mumbled.

  
“Sleep,” Corey agreed.


	5. Introducing Tyler

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I don't include many details in this chapter, but that is on purpose.

BEEP BEEP BEEP   
  
Tyler rolled over and smacked his alarm clock to make it stop. He learned that it was easier to get a cheap $10 alarm clock after he cracked the screen of his second phone.   
  
He opened his eyes to find a gorgeous woman by his side. Her hair shined gold in the light. "Liz," he whispered.   
  
There was just something about her, but not only her. It was just the human body. It comes in all shapes and sizes with many imperfections, but always manages to be beautiful.    
  
She didn't budge when he said her name so he hopped up and grabbed his camera. He lightly shifted a lamp or two then kneeled by the bed. A thin sheet covered her body just enough. Her hair didn't lay perfectly and the light exposed the freckles on her chest that she hated, but in that moment she showed natural beauty. She was nowhere close to perfect, but beautiful nonetheless. He snapped pictures of her, highlighting the peaceful, relaxed expression on her face. He couldn't stop smiling at his newest finding.    
  
He sat the camera back on the dresser and went to the bathroom to prepare for class.    
  
Tyler rubbed the light stubble forming on his chin as he looked at himself the mirror. His eyes looked blue today, but that wasn't unusual in the morning. He stepped in the shower and enjoyed the hot water splashing against his skin.   
  
The shower curtain opened suddenly. The woman previously in his bed stood naked in front of him with no hint of shame. "Need a hand in here?" she offered. Everything she said had a hidden meaning.   
  
"I have to get to class."   
  
"I'll be quick," she promised. She was never ashamed of her sexual desires or her body. She was naked whenever it was appropriate. Her free spirit was one of the many things he enjoyed about her.   
  
She stepped into the shower and closed the curtain behind her.   
  
"Did you get everything you needed last night?" she asked softly as she reached around to feel over his abs.   
  
"Yes, thanks. I took some pictures this morning too."   
  
"Do you think you'll share these with your teacher?" she asked casually as she wrapped her hand around his cock.   
  
Tyler shook his head. "She's really picky about pictures like that."   
  
"Your pictures are so tasteful,” she smiled as she kissed the back of his shoulder. “She'll love them."   
  
"I don't know Liz, maybe one day."   
  
“I've learned that ‘one day’ never comes,” she shared. Her hand quickened on his cock as if they weren't having a conversation. She was damn good at multitasking. It didn't take long for him to spill out onto the shower floor.   
  
Tyler washed himself off slowly before turning to kiss her. His hand caressed her frame with care.   
  
A smile tugged at her lips. "I can handle myself this morning. You need to get to class."   
  
Tyler paused to determine if he should insist.   
  
"I'm sure. I'll lock up when I leave," she assured him.   
  
"Ok, I'll see you around." He said as he stepped out of the shower and dried off quickly to get dressed and get to class on time.   
_____   
  
"Everyone quiet down, I have an announcement before you leave."   
  
The entire room fell silent.   
  
A lady, who was well passed her prime, walked across the front of the room to stand at her podium. "I announced at the beginning of the semester that there would be an opportunity for 20 students to complete the remainder of their degree online. The top 20 students had first choice. Because not all of them accepted, there are 10 spots available. If anyone wants one of those spots, come see me before you go."   
  
The sound of backpacks being zipped and thrown over the shoulder of college students filled the room.   
  
"Not so fast," she started. "There is the same amount of work required and I will be expecting excellent work. I want students who are willing to go out and explore to get the most creative shots. I will only accept students that I know will use this to a full advantage.”   
  
The room fell quiet.   
  
"Class is dismissed," she concluded.   
  
Tyler looked down at his phone. He had reached out to Corey countless times, but he was blocked on Facebook and everywhere else he could think of. He even tried to call, but Corey changed his number.   
  
He looked up at the line forming at the front of the room. Could he live up to the professor's expectations?    
  
He gathered his things and stood in line. He couldn't spend more time away from Corey. He had to go back to Washington. He had to take this chance. If he waited any longer, he could lose Corey for good.   
  
He tapped his fingers against the side of his thigh anxiously as he waited in line to talk to the professor. He had no idea how he would convince her that he was good enough. He wasn't the best student, but he was creative and truly loved photography.   
  
The person in front of him smiled brightly and hugged the professor. It wasn't surprising. That guy always had the best submissions. He vacationed in Europe and Africa, collecting pictures of beautiful scenery.   
  
Tyler took a breath stepped forward. "Mrs. Byrd, I know I don't have the best grades, but I would really love the opportunity to sign up."   
  
"Tyler, I'm glad you want to sign up for this opportunity. I think it would be great for you."   
  
"You do?" he asked, genuinely shocked.   
  
"You have great ideas and take beautiful photographs. I think a bit of freedom would really help you expand your art." She scribbled his name down on the paper.   
  
"Thank you, I will really work hard to keep up."   
  
She smiled softly. The long wrinkles on her face suggested that she didn't smile often, and now the expression looked odd on her face.   
  
"I'm sure you will,” she praised. "But I have one piece of advice before you go; open up. You may find something beautiful in unexpected places."   
  
Tyler didn't focus on her words much after she wrote down his name. He needed to get on a plane. "Thank you so much," he said quickly as he rushed out of the room.   
  
He ran the entire way home. He grabbed a bag and stuffed it full of clothes mindlessly before taking the bus to the airport. On the ride, he considered the idea that Corey had moved on or literally moved to a different city. He didn't entertain the thought for long because either way he had to know. He couldn't stay up thinking about what may have happened.   
  
The bus stopped in front of the airport. He went inside and looked at the board full of different flights. There were planes arriving and departing at almost every gate. He scanned the lists quickly. Finally, a flight departing to to Seattle.... In 10 minutes.   
  
He threw his bag across his shoulder and sprinted across the airport. He rushed through security, thankfully he didn't have anything on him but his keys, wallet and cell phone. He rushed to the desk, only to find a lady on the phone.    
  
"Please, I need a ticket on this flight. Any seat, it doesn't matter."   
  
The lady looked at him and tapped at the screen while continuing her conversation on the phone. Tyler rubbed face, exhausted. He needed a ticket and he only had three minutes to get it.   
  
"I told you baby, I don't get off until 7:30 tonight," she said into the phone as she held her hand out to Tyler.   
  
Tyler looked at her hand in confusion. She snapped her fingers and held out her hand again. He reached into his pocket and handed her his credit card.   
  
"I can be there no sooner than 8, why would you make reservations for 7:30?" she continued as she swiped his card and waited for his receipt.   
  
"Thank you," Tyler whispered.   
  
She nodded to him and handed him his card as well as his receipt and ticket. She pointed to the door next to the desk.   
  
Tyler stuffed his wallet in his pocket and rushed through the door. He looked at his ticket and found his seat easily. He sat in the aisle next to two black women. The one by the window had a baby. The flight attendant walked by and checked his ticket. "You made it just in time."   
  
Tyler smiled. "Guess today is my lucky day. I hope it continues."   
  
The attendant smiled politely and continued checking tickets.   
  
The lady in the seat beside him was a little overweight, but seemed confident in herself.  A honey blonde wig sat on top of her head, which was move invasive to his personal space than her size.   
  
"I'm sorry honey," she said with a thick Alabama accent when he leaned away. "It is so easy to lose track of all this hair." She pulled her hair up and secured it all in a rubber band.    
  
"You're fine,” Tyler smiled.   
  
"Baby I know it."   
  
Tyler laughed. "I haven't met anyone from Alabama in such a long time."   
  
"How'd ya guess?" she smiled, emphasizing her accent as if it was possible.   
  
"I'm Tyler. I'm from Montgomery."   
  
The woman offered to shake his hand. "I'm Brittney. Two T's and a Y. I'm from Mobile. And this girl over here is Monique and her son JaMarcus."   
  
"Nice to meet you both."   
  
"So what do ya need luck for, Tyler? Are you flying across the country to meet the love of your life like on them movies?" she inquired.   
  
"Brittney! Shut up. That's his own business," Monique interrupted.   
  
"He don't mind," Brittney defended.   
  
"It's ok," Tyler smiled. "She's kinda right. I was dating this guy then I got accepted to school in Rhode Island. He had his life in Seattle and refused to move,” he explained. “And I wouldn't stay, so we broke up."   
  
Both women said, "Awww," in unison.   
  
"Now you're going back to him?" Monique asked.   
  
"Yeah. I have the chance to finish up my classes online which I can do anywhere in the country. I'm hoping that if I move back he will take me back." Tyler explained.   
  
"Do you have a big romantic gesture planned?" Brittney asked anxiously.   
  
"Um... Not really," Tyler admitted.   
  
"You should get some flowers," Monique suggested.   
  
"Ooh, and some music," Brittney added.   
  
The two women spent the entire flight discussing how Tyler should convince Corey to take him back. Somehow he ended up holding JaMarcus most of the flight, rocking him gently so he would sleep, while the women talked.   
  
"Ok, we got it,” Brittney said eventually. “You should pick up some flowers and go to his apartment. Give him the flowers and pour out your heart. Then take him to a nice fancy dinner with live music so you can dance. Then walk through the city while holding hands and maybe stop to get ice cream or any kind of dessert. Then take him back to your hotel because everybody loves getting nasty in a hotel."   
  
"Y'all really thought this through... I don't know if I can afford all that."

 

“What about just the flowers and hotel?” Monique suggested.

 

Brittney nodded in agreement. “Definitely.  That's the important part.”

 

The plane started to land and Tyler simply chuckled. “I'll see what I can do, but I think bringing a baby with me might ruin the mood.”

 

“Right, right. I don't think my man would be cool with me letting my baby go out with some stranger I met on the plane,” Monique laughed as she reached over to take her baby.

 

“We ain't got to be strangers,” Brittney pointed out. “I can give you our number.  If you ever head back to Alabama stop in Mobile.”

 

Tyler handed her his phone.  “Sure thing. You can never have too many friends.”

 

Brittney added her number as well as Monique’s before handing it back. “Thanks ladies. This has been the best flight I've been on in a long time,” Tyler said as he stood up and grabbed his carry on bag which just happened to be all the luggage he had.

 

The women waved and took their time gathering their things before leaving the plane.

 

It was almost 6:00 pm when he got into into a taxi. He went straight to Corey's apartment and prayed that Corey didn't move since Tyler had been gone. He knocked calmly on the door, doing his best not to give it away as if a knock on the door could possibly say, ‘Hey, I'm your ex boyfriend. Will you take me back?’.

 

No one answered so he knocked again, but louder. No answer again. Maybe Corey was still at work. 

 

Tyler looked over at his bag and figured that coming to his apartment straight from the airport made him look desperate. Maybe he should check into a hotel. 

 

He sighed and checked the Internet to see where the closest hotel was. It was close enough to walk, so he did. He only stayed long enough to wash his face a bit and drop off his bag then he went back to Corey's apartment. 

 

He knocked again.

 

Still there was no answer.

 

“Dammit!” he shouted as he leaned back against the wall. He closed his eyes and took some deep breaths. 

 

The door across the hall opened and an older man walked out. Not old, but enough to have visible gray hair and young enough to still be attractive to most people. The man barely gave Tyler a glance as he locked his apartment door and turned to leave. 

 

Tyler spoke up, “Excuse me, do you mind if I ask you something?”    


The man looked up. “I don't see why not.” His clothes fit loosely, old jeans and an even older t-shirt. 

 

“I'm looking for the guy that lives here. His name is Corey. I'm trying to figure out if he moved or something. Do you know anything about him?”

 

The man's voice was more of a thick low rasp, “Yeah I know Corey. He lives there. Want me to tell him you stopped by?” Tyler couldn't place his accent, but he definitely wasn't from Seattle.

 

“No, it's alright. I'll come by another time,” Tyler sighed. 

 

“You may want to wait a day or two. I think he's out of town.”

 

“Out of town?  That's just my luck.”

 

“Look here, I don't usually involve myself with the lives of my neighbors, but if you leave me your number I will call you when he gets back in town.”

 

“Ok. Thank you so much.” Tyler searched his pockets and pulled out  his receipt from his flight.

 

The man offered him a pen.

 

“Thanks,” Tyler smiled as he scribbled down his cell phone number. He handed the receipt and pen back to the man.

 

“No problem,” the man said and he leaned down and slid the paper under his door.

 

Tyler looked rather confused.

 

“I don't want to lose it at work,” the man explained.

 

Tyler nodded. “Oh ok.”

 

“Speaking of work, I'm going to be late,” the man said as he started walking down the hallway.

 

Tyler took an idle glance at Corey's door. The last time he stood here was the day he told Corey he was moving. He had to leave and when Corey kicked him out, he was left staring at this very door.   
_____

  
_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK_  
  
"Corey, what are you doing? I told you to be ready on time,” Tyler warned with a commanding tone.

  
Corey snatched the door open. Until that moment, Tyler assumed he was late because he was rushing to get dressed, but Corey opened the door to reveal he only wearing jeans.   
  
Tyler's eyebrows lowered into a displeased glare. "I asked you to dress up nice. I want to take you to dinner."   
  
Corey pushed the door open further to reveal a candle lit room. "I thought we could stay in," he said sheepishly, knowing he disobeyed a direct order. He hoped the gesture would be enough to get him out of trouble.   
  
"Corey, I said-"   
  
"And I made your favorite dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs," Corey interrupted. He reached for Tyler's hand and pulled him inside.    
  
Although it was impossible, something inside Tyler believed that Corey knew.   
  
Corey pulled him into the small kitchen. "I bought a whole new container of parmesan cheese so you can add as much as you want."   
  
Tyler stopped walking with him and instead pulled Corey to him. "Stop it."   
  
Corey quieted instantly.   
  
"I asked you to come to dinner with me and you agreed. Have you changed your mind?" Tyler questioned.   
  
Corey waited a moment to be sure Tyler was finished talking. "It's not that I don't want to go out to dinner. I just wanted-..." Corey stopped to force down the shame he felt every time Tyler talked like that. "I wanted tonight to just be us."   
  
Tyler brought a hand up to Corey's face and stroked his cheek. "Corey, if you changed your mind why didn't you tell me?"   
  
"It was a little last minute and then I thought it would make a good surprise."   
  
"I didn't order you to come to dinner with me, but I did tell you to dress nice tonight,” Tyler pointed out.   
  
Corey looked down at his appearance. "Hey, these are my nice jeans."   
  
"Let's save that for after dinner, ok? It smells great in here."   
  
Corey smiled at his small victory and made each of them a big plate of spaghetti. Tyler sat at the table and added a mountain of parmesan cheese before stirring it up. "How was work?"   
  
"It was good. My boss is out of town so I mostly answered calls and emails. I took a few messages, but that was it. How about you?"   
  
Tyler took a bite of spaghetti and used the time he was chewing to rehearse how to say it. "Well, I heard back from one of the schools I applied to."   
  
Corey dropped his fork to his plate. "Was it the one from northern California?”    
  
They had both been hoping for that specific school so that they could see each other regularly on weekends.   
  
Tyler shook his head.   
  
"Nevada?" Corey asked hopefully.   
  
"Rhode Island," Tyler stated flatly.   
  
The room was silent except for the buzz of the air conditioner. "I didn't know you applied to a school there," Corey said quietly.   
  
"I applied to all the schools I knew of."   
  
Corey dismissed the fact that Tyler applied to schools he didn't know about because there were more important questions that needed to be asked. "Are you going to accept?"   
  
Tyler nodded.   
  
"What-" he couldn't find the words and sighed with frustration.   
  
Tyler reached across the table and placed his hand over Corey's. "It's ok. It's going to be ok.  _ We _ are going to be ok."   
  
"I accepted that I wouldn't see you often if you were in school. We could make it work if I only saw you on weekends. What are we going to do on separate sides of the country? Are you going to fly out on your vacations?"   
  
Tyler stroked Corey's knuckles. "I know. I know it's a far distance, but I have come up with a plan. I want you to come with me. I can get enough student loans to support us both. Money will be tight, but we will be together."   
  
Corey pulled his hand away from Tyler. "That's not-... That option isn't on the table."   
  
"I know you are against moving for relationships, but-"   
  
"But what? But aren't you special? Aren't we special? Shouldn't I just throw away my life for you?" Corey was clearly beginning to become angry.   
  
"Corey, that's not what I was going to say. I just want you to think about it. If not, we can always try long distance."   
  
Corey stood up and kicked over his chair. 

 

Tyler rushed over to him quickly. "Hey, look at me."   
  
Corey tried to push him away, but Tyler just held his wrists tight and braced him against the wall.   
  
"Corey, breathe. It's going to be ok. I love you. I could move to China, but I would still love you. You know that."   
  
Corey slammed his head back into the wall and refused to look into his eyes.   
  
Tyler moved his own head to look into Corey's eyes. "You know I love you, Corey. Do you love me?"   
  
Corey closed his eyes, fighting back tears.    
  
"Do you?" he asked again.   
  
Corey nodded.   
  
"Then we can make this work."   
  
Corey shook his head. "No we can't." He slowly turned his head to face Tyler. "If I can't see you often then this won't work."   
  
Tyler slowly let go of Corey's wrists and Corey's arms fell to his side.

 

"Just go to a school here. Go to a school close by,” Corey begged.   
  
"Corey... I tried."   
  
"I don't care!” Corey shouted. “If you can't go to a school here, don't go!"   
  
"Corey, I can't-"   
  
"Then leave!"   
  
Tyler reached to put his hand on Corey's shoulder.    
  
"No!” Corey yelled as he moved away from Tyler's touch. “Get out!”   
  
Tyler pulled his hand away. His entire world stopped and he couldn't force himself to leave.    
  
"Now!" He screamed as he pushed Tyler away.    
  
Tyler took a few steps back and slowly turned to leave. When he left the apartment, the door slammed behind him.    
  
There were so many things he wanted to say, yet he couldn't make any words. He turned and stared at the door. He raised his hand to knock, but without words there was no point.    
_____   
  
Tyler rubbed at his eyes and shoved his hands in his pockets before making his way down to the elevator. He had to fix this.

 


	6. Chaper 6

“Are you sure that you have to go?” Riley whined as he leaned on Corey's shoulder.

 

Corey smiled and kissed his forehead. “It's just for the rest of the day. I'll see you at work tomorrow.”

 

Riley smiled back at him. “Fine. Behave.”

 

“No promises,” Corey smiled as he climbed out of the car.  He gathered his bags from the trunk and went inside. 

 

“Are you going to come sit up here with me, Angel?” Maxwell offered. 

 

“I'm comfy back here,” Riley responded.

 

“Suit yourself,” Maxwell said as he started driving down the road. 

 

Riley took the keys and his carry on bag so that he could open the door for Maxwell, who was carrying the rest of his things. Maxwell put all of bags in the bedroom and started to unpack immediately. Riley sat on the edge of the bed and plugged his phone in. He waited a full 30 seconds before turning it on.

 

Riley watched as his phone buzzed repeatedly. Maxwell looked up curiously. When it finally stopped, Riley read through the texts. 

 

After a few moments of silence he started laughing. “Did you leave Destiny and Josh a ridiculous amount of money?”

 

Maxwell turned his attention back to his suitcase so he could put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket. “Depends, how much is 'a ridiculous amount’?”

 

Riley laughed harder at Maxwell's obvious attempt to avoid the question.

 

“Just an extra $300 for the baby,” Maxwell explained.

 

“That's actually not as bad as I expected.”

 

“And I paid their rent until the end of the lease,” Maxwell added.

 

Riley looked at him with pure shock. “What?”

 

“I didn't give it to them. I gave it to their landlord.”

 

“What?” Riley asked again, louder.

 

Maxwell looked over at him. “They denied accepting a check with that much money so I gave it to their landlord.”

 

Riley rolled over onto his bed and laughed until his lungs ached. Maxwell sat beside him. “Is it really that funny?”

 

“Yes. That was rather mean, but nice at the same time. You're very clever.”

 

“That I am,” Maxwell agreed. “I'm also hungry. Do you want to order food and watch a movie or something?”

 

Riley nodded quickly. He ordered Chinese food and set up a movie in the living room. It was the type of casual evening that Riley enjoyed, especially when he was alone with Maxwell.

 

____

  
  


Corey rushed out of his apartment in the morning as he usually did. He hardly noticed his neighbor walking out of the apartment across the hall. 

 

The man reached into his pockets and found Tyler's number. He was less than surprised at how quickly he answered the phone.

 

“Hello,” Tyler breathed out quickly as if he ran across the room to answer.

 

“Hey, this is Corey's neighbor. I just wanted to let you know he's back.”

 

“Is he there now? I can be there in 5 minutes.”

 

“No, he just left.”

 

Tyler pulled on some pants anyway. “Ok, thank you so much.”

 

“You're welcome. Good luck.”

 

Tyler ended the call and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

_____

 

When Corey arrived at work, Maxwell was showing Riley to his desk. Corey waved and went to his new desk.

 

Riley smiled in return, but quickly turned his attention back to Maxwell.

 

“Are you sure that you're ready for this, Angel?” Maxwell asked softly.

 

“Yes, I can do this,” Riley promised.

 

“Corey left you all the account information you'll need,” Maxwell explained as he pointed to a notepad by the phone. “Change the passwords when you log in and make sure it's something you'll remember.”

 

Riley nodded along.

 

“I'll give some time to do that then I'll expect you to send me my schedule for the day, ok?”

 

Riley could tell that Maxwell was babying him. “Max, I can do this,” Riley pouted.

 

“Ok, ok. If you need anything, ask,” Maxwell said as he went to his office.

 

Riley fumbled through the first account, but picked up a system quickly so he could work faster. He switched all the passwords and went through all the messages. There were so many messages. He had hundreds of emails and dozens of voice messages waiting for him. 

 

Riley listened closely, but some of the accents were too thick for him to understand. He wrote down everything he could figure out and listened to the messages he couldn't understand over and over. As more time passed, the messages started to make less sense. He sighed heavily and rested his head on the desk.

 

He felt a hand on his back. 

 

“I can do it,” he groaned.

 

“I'm not Maxwell,” Corey laughed.

 

Riley raised his head and looked up at him. “What are you doing over here?”

 

Corey shrugged. “I got bored. What's up?”

 

“I'm trying to understand these messages. I can hardly hear them,” Riley explained.

 

“Let me listen,” Corey said as he picked up the headset. He listened closely and played the message again. He picked up a pen and scribbled down the message. “There you go,” Corey smiled.

 

“What about this one?” Riley asked as he played another message.

 

Corey took the headset off and shook his head.

 

“C'mon, you have to help,” Riley pleaded.

 

“I am helping. I just can't understand her. I think it's Maxwell's mom. English isn't her first language. You'll have to forward him the message,” Corey explained.

 

“How do I forward a voice message?”

 

Corey showed him the program on the computer and how to send it to Maxwell's office.

 

“Thanks,” Riley smiled. 

 

“Do you have it from here?”

 

Riley nodded and organized the message by importance as Corey wandered back to his desk.

 

He picked up his notepad and went to Maxwell's office. He knocked softly and waited. When he didn't hear anything, he knocked a bit harder.

 

“Come in.”

 

Riley opened the door quickly and walked inside. “Hey. I sent you your schedule. Did you get it?”

 

“I did. Thank you.”

 

“Um, I didn't know how you like your messages so here,” Riley said handing him a piece of paper. “I organized them by importance.”

 

Maxwell looked over the paper. “These aren't messages for me.”

 

“What?”

 

“They are for you. You need to add these to my schedule. I like how you have them organized though,” Maxwell said as he handed Riley the paper. “There is a calendar on the computer. Add each event there. When you're done, press 'Sync’ and I will have it on my computer,” Maxwell instructed.

 

“If you can see that, why do I have to send a separate email each day?” Riley questioned.

 

“I prefer for you to give me a hard copy of my schedule for the day. Since schedules change daily, I rarely check the calendar. The hard copy that you give me is permanent unless there is an emergency.”

 

Riley stared at him blankly for a moment. “Ok, I think I got it.”

 

“Good. You can take your lunch break soon.”

 

Riley nodded and went back to his desk. He pulled the calendar and added each event, listing who Maxwell would meet, where the meeting would be, and the general purpose of the meeting. Thankfully, Corey left a guide for how long each meeting took and it was pretty easy to use Google to estimate travel time.

 

He worked through half of his list when someone came up behind him and covered his eyes. “Corey?”

 

Corey smiled and kissed his cheek. “How's your first day going?”

 

“Bad.”

 

“Aww. I'm sure that's not true. It looks like you've done a lot.”

 

“But it feels like I'm going circles. As soon as I get things scheduled, I have to change it.”

 

Corey laughed. “Yep, that's the job.”

 

Riley didn't find it as humorous as Corey did.

 

“You need a break. It's time for lunch. Let's go get something to eat.”

 

Riley saved all of his work and followed Corey.

 

“Have you heard of the bucket of rocks?” Corey asked as he pressed the button for the elevator.

 

“What? No.”

 

“There was a guy on the beach with 3 containers. One had big rocks, one had pebbles, and one had sand. He had a big bucket and wanted to put it all in the bucket. No matter what he did, he couldn't make it fit. An old man walked down the beach and saw him. He stopped to help. He told the boy, ‘You need to prioritize’. The boy was confused and the man told  him, ‘The biggest, most important things, should go first.’ The old man left and the boy looked at his 3 containers. He put the big rocks in the bucket first. Then he added the pebbles. The pebbles went in easily, filling in the cracks. At this point, the bucket was full and he didn't think the sand would fit, but he tried anyway. He slowly poured sand into the bucket and it fell to the bottom, filling the cracks between the pebbles. All of the sand fit.”

 

“Ok?”

 

“The point is, you have a lot of stuff to fit into a short period of time. If you put the important things in first, everything will fall into place. With the bigger companies, there aren't many times where their schedule is open, so you have to schedule them whenever they are available. The smaller companies are more flexible and can fit wherever.”

 

“Oh, like the sand. I got it.”

 

“Good. Do you like subs?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Corey took him to a nearby sub shop. “We should get one for a Maxwell too. He says he doesn't want it, but he always eats it.”

 

Riley laughed. “That's true.” He ordered a sub for Maxwell too and took it to Maxwell's office.

 

The door to the office was open so they just walked in. “We brought lunch,” Riley announced.

 

“Thank you, Angel.”

 

Corey and Riley both sat at his desk.

 

“Are you eating in here?” Maxwell asked.

 

“Where else would we eat?” Riley replied.

 

“The cafeteria? Outside?”

 

“Will you come eat outside with us?” Corey asked.

 

“No,” Maxwell said firmly.

 

“Then we'll eat in here with you,” Riley smiled.

 

Max glared at their persistence. “Fine, how is your first day going?”

 

“It's ok so far. I think the afternoon will be better. Corey gave me great advice for getting everything done.”

 

Maxwell looked over to Corey who was shoving his sandwich into his mouth. “He did?”

 

Corey ripped off a bite and nodded. 

 

“He told me this story about rocks in a bucket.”

 

Maxwell nodded in recognition. “I told him that story on his first day.”

 

“It was helpful.”

 

“Do you have any dress clothes in the boxes we shipped here from Texas?”

 

Riley took a bite of his sub and shook his head.

 

“Then we'll need to go shopping.”

 

Riley pouted. “Do I have to wear a suit?”

 

“I'll settle for khakis or black pants and a button up shirt.”

 

“Deal,” Riley agreed quickly.

 

“Try not to buy your pants too tight. You wouldn't want to distract anyone,” Corey teased.

 

“Shut up. You're just jealous.”

 

“I'm ok with my butt. Plus it is much easier to play with yours,” Corey smiled.

 

“Not at work,” Max warned.

 

A deliciously evil idea started forming in Corey's mind, but he decided to hold back… for now.

 

He ate his lunch quietly and returned to his desk. Riley lingered behind to get some extra attention from Maxwell.

 

“Time to get back to work, Angel.”

 

Riley tossed his trash in the garbage can. “I know,” he frowned.

 

“What's wrong?” Maxwell inquired.

 

Riley walked around the desk and sat on Maxwell's lap. “I really like working with you because you're around all day.”

 

“But?” Maxwell asked, encouraging him to continue.

 

“It's hard being around you without being able to talk to you or touch you. It's just like if you weren't here,” Riley complained.

 

“Do you want to know why I like you working here?” Maxwell asked as he wrapped his arm around Riley's waist.

 

Riley leaned on shoulder and nodded.

 

“I get to watch you through that window all day long and plan what I want to do to you when we get home.”

 

Riley looked up at him, hoping he would continue.

 

Maxwell leaned down and kissed Riley's forehead. “The sooner you get to work, the sooner we can leave.”

 

Riley sighed, but he knew that Maxwell was right. He stood up and tugged his clothes back into their proper place. “I'll see you in a few hours.”

 

Maxwell smiled and pushed him along.

 

Riley closed the door behind him and went to his desk. He looked at the screen and took a deep breath while he remembered what Corey said. “Prioritize,” he said to himself.

 

He called the bigger companies and scheduled them first. He put a star by those appointments, that way he knew not to change them. Then he called and emailed smaller, up and coming companies. He scheduled the ones that gave him a definite answer and put a pound sign beside it.

 

He quickly realized that Corey was right when he called the small companies that were just getting started. They were eager to take any appointment that Riley offered. They didn't request any specific amount of time either. They were probably prepared to be as quick or as detailed as they needed to be as soon as they got an appointment.

 

Riley scheduled those appointments with a question mark beside them in case he needed to change them, because he would know that they weren't set in stone. After he scheduled the last appointment on his list, he looked over at the time. 

 

4:48pm. Time to go.

 

Riley looked to Corey's desk. His head was down. He closed all of his programs and made sure he was logged out. Then he went Corey's desk and tapped on his shoulder.

 

Corey sat up quickly. “I wasn't asleep.”

 

Riley laughed after initial shock. “It's time to go. It's almost 5.”

 

“Awesome. Let's go get Maxwell.” He clicked his mouse a few time to sign out then he went to Maxwell's office. He knocked quickly before entering. “Time to go home big guy.”

 

Maxwell was packing up his briefcase. “I know. I'm almost ready.”

 

“He almost never leaves on time,” Corey whispered to Riley.

 

“I heard that,” Maxwell growled.

 

“It's true. You are such a workaholic.”

 

“Let's go boys,” Maxwell said, avoiding the topic.

 

They all walked outside together. As they stepped out of the building, Corey noticed a man a few feet down the street. He was wearing sweatpants and a light jacket. It seemed odd for this weather, but crazy homeless people were abundant in the city. He followed Maxwell and Riley across the street to his car and dismissed the thought.

 

“Do you guys want to eat out or make something at home?” Maxwell asked once everyone was in the car.

 

“I know what I want to eat out,” Corey smirked.

 

Maxwell glared at him through the rear view mirror.

 

“I'm off the clock,” Corey defended.

 

“I want chicken,” Riley interrupted.

 

“What kind chicken?” Maxwell asked. “I can make chicken at home.”

 

“Ok. You're a good cook,” Riley agreed. 

 

Corey and Riley were fairly tired so they stayed quiet during the ride home. 

 

“Did you get the message from your mom?” Riley asked as he sat heavily on the couch.

 

“How did you know it was my mom?”

 

Riley pointed at Corey.

 

“Of course. Yes, I got the message. Thanks.”

 

“Does she call often?” Riley asked, slowly searching for information.

 

“No, only a few times a year. She calls on my birthday every year.”

 

“It's your birthday!?” Riley shrieked. “Why didn't you tell me?”

 

“Because I don't make a big deal about my birthday.”

 

“But you need a cake and presents!”

 

Maxwell kissed forehead. “This is why I didn't tell you.”

 

Riley pouted. He loved his birthday and he loved celebrating other people's birthday. He couldn't believe that he missed this.

 

Maxwell draped the jacket of his suit over the back of the chair and sat on the couch. “Don't worry Angel, it isn't a big deal. No need for pouting.” He stroked Riley's bottom lip gently. 

 

“It is a big deal and I'm throwing you a party!” Riley insisted. 

 

“Who are you going to invite?  Maxwell doesn't have friends,” Corey laughed. 

 

“Don't be so mean,” Riley whined. “It's his birthday. Plus, everybody has friends.”

 

“I have found no need for friends. I have coworkers and outside of work I enjoy being alone,” Maxwell explained. “Now, I enjoy being with you,” he said as he leaned down to place a kiss on Riley's lips. 

 

Riley was immediately heartbroken. His true frown, when he wasn't just pouting for attention, could strike a nerve in anyone with a heart. It hit Maxwell even harder. “What's wrong, Angel?”

 

“You don't have friends?”

 

“You're my friend, aren't you?” Maxwell asked.

 

“I'm your boyfriend,” Riley corrected.  “That doesn't count.”

 

Maxwell thought for a moment. “Corey is my friend.”

 

Riley looked over at Corey, who shrugged.  “That's news to me,” Corey teased. 

 

“Do you have friends?” Riley asked with growing curiosity. 

 

“Sure, but I fuck all of my friends. The dirtier the sex, the better the friendship,” Corey said with a smirk. 

 

“I'm sure the frequency of the sex plays a part,” Maxwell added. 

 

“Right right,” Corey agreed. “The two of you are my best friends. The sex is often and it can get pretty kinky.”

 

“Only pretty kinky?” Riley asked, slightly offended. 

 

“I wouldn't pull at that thread, Angel,” Maxwell gently warned. 

 

Riley looked mildly disgusted at the thought of all the things Corey must have done in his past. The memory of  seeing Corey's scars for the first time flashed into his mind. Is that what he meant? 

 

“Aww, don't make that face,” Corey said as he stroked Riley's thigh. “You're easily the most adorable guy I've fucked.”

 

Riley couldn't decide if that made him feel better or more offended. 

 

“Let's stop talking about sex and birthdays and go get dinner,” Maxwell chimed in. 

 

The mention of birthdays helped Riley lighten up. “Where do you want to go?  Birthday boy gets to choose!”

 

Maxwell raised an eyebrow with a newfound curiosity. “You really want me to choose?”

 

Riley nodded quickly. 

 

“Ok, but you'll both need to put on a tie.”

 

Corey groaned loudly and leaned back dramatically. 

 

“It's his birthday!” Riley reminded him. “You can wear a tie for one day.”

 

“I don't even have a tie,” Corey pointed out. 

 

Riley thought for a moment. “I don't think I do either.”

 

Maxwell stood up from the couch and stretched. “C’mon boys.”

 

Corey and Riley followed him to the bedroom. Maxwell stood at the closet and picked out a tie for each of them. Riley had to change shirts because a tie apparently doesn't go with a polo shirt. 

 

Maxwell watched as both men struggled to tie their tie. Eventually, they both looked up to him for help. He pulled apart the atrocious knots they made and tied it correctly. 

 

“You two look very nice,” Maxwell praised. “Let's get going.” 

 

Corey tugged on his tie until they arrived at the restaurant. Maxwell parked and looked back at him. “You're going to strangle yourself.”

 

Corey glared at him and let go of the tie.  “This is so unnatural.”

 

“I highly doubt this is the first time you've had something around your neck,” Riley teased. 

 

Corey leaned forward and whispered into his ear. “Would you like to try it out?”

 

Riley blushed and turned away. 

 

“You two are going to behave once we go inside. Do you understand?”

 

Corey and Riley looked at Maxwell, both imagining what he would do if they didn't behave. It didn't last long. They both nodded, vowing to behave. 

 

“Good,” Maxwell said as he stepped out of the car. 

 

Corey and Riley followed close behind him. They exchanged a look before going inside. They weren't sure what to expect inside. 

 

When Maxwell opened the door, he revealed a dim lit room with a red tint.  Light bulbs were covered by red shades and select tables were lit with candles. 

 

A man stood at a podium near the door, dressed in a well fitting black suit with a red shirt and black tie. “Welcome to Alejandro’s. How many are in your party this evening?” he recited for the hundredth time today. 

 

“Three,” Maxwell answered. 

 

“Do you have a reservation?” the man asked as he scanned a large book in front of him. 

 

“No,” Maxwell answered plainly. 

 

The man seemed surprised that someone would show up without a reservation. “May I have a name?”

 

“Palamo.”

 

The attendant hadn't finished writing the name before he looked up at Maxwell.  “Um, yes sir. It will be just a moment.”

 

Riley looked over at Corey for an explanation. Maybe this was just how things worked outside of Texas. Corey shrugged in response. They both looked to Maxwell who smiled softly. 

 

A minute had barely passed before the attendant picked up some menus and called their name. “Mr. Palamo, right this way.”

 

They were led to a table in the back.  There were candles on the table, but they weren't lit. The attendant handed each of them a cloth menu and recited the specials for the evening.  

 

Riley tried to follow along, but half of it sounded like gibberish. Maxwell nodded along until the man finished.  

 

“If you have any questions, let me know,” the man concluded before he left. 

 

Riley looked to Maxwell, slightly afraid to ask anything and risk making a scene. 

 

“I'll help you order,” Maxwell smiled. 

 

Riley let out a sigh of relief. 

 

“Do you still want chicken?”

 

Riley nodded. 

 

Maxwell bruised through his menu. “Go to page six. I know the names are hard to pronounce, but it tells you what it is under the bold print.”

 

Riley flipped through his menu quickly and read all the chicken options. 

 

“What would you like Corey?”

 

“Um, surprise me,” Corey said casually. 

 

A slender man in a white shirt and a bow tie came to the table. “Good evening,  gentlemen. Can I interest you in some wine?”

 

Maxwell nodded. “Yes please.”

 

He moved his wine glass to the edge of the table. The slender man poured him a sip and waited. Maxwell drank it all, but held it in his mouth a moment before swallowing. He nodded his approval.

 

Riley paused before imitating him. He took his sip and tried to do it the way Maxwell did. “Wow, that's delicious.”

 

Corey offered up his glass quickly. He drank his sip quickly and nodded. “I like it.”

 

The man nodded and poured each of them half of a glass before putting the bottle in the middle of the table in a bucket of ice. “Are you ready to order?”

 

“Not quite,” Maxwell said

 

The man left and Maxwell looked to Riley. “Do you know what you want, Angel?”

 

“I think I want the third one, but I can't say it.”

 

“That's ok. I can show you,” Maxwell assured him. 

 

“Could you… could you do it for me?” Riley asked quietly. 

 

A smile spread across Maxwell's face. “Of course.” He caught the waiter’s attention and the man came to the table immediately. “We are ready to order,” Maxwell announced. He ordered effortlessly and the man made no effort to write it down. 

 

“Yes sir, we will get that started for you right away.”

 

Riley waited for the man to leave before speaking up. “Do you come here a lot?”

 

Maxwell shook his head. “I prefer to eat at home. I only go to places like this on special occasions or for business meetings.”

 

“They seem to know you pretty well,” Riley pointed out. 

 

“I know the owner,” Maxwell said simply. 

 

Riley looked around, thoroughly impressed with how wealthy Maxwell's friend must be.

 

“We aren't close friends, but I helped him get started so he often lets me eat for free,” Maxwell explained. 

 

“What do you mean by ‘help him get started’?” Corey asked. 

 

“He owned a small restaurant a few blocks over. The food was excellent, but the building was old and run down. I convinced the people I work for to buy the building and make a recreational center for the community,” Maxwell said casually as he sipped wine. “He took the money and used it as a down payment for this place. I came here for business meetings to impress clients and the restaurant became popular.”

 

Riley stared at him with disbelief. “Maxwell, that's amazing.”

 

“He sure appreciated it,” Maxwell said casually.

 

“Well, yeah. You basically invested in him when he was nobody,” Riley smiled. 

 

“You must be ridiculously rich,” Corey said. 

 

“No, I didn't pay for any of it. I just convinced my boss too,” Maxwell corrected.

 

The waiter carried their food to the table and placed it carefully. The smell made Riley's stomach growl. The food was steaming and he could hear the faint sizzle of Corey's steak on his plate. 

 

The waiter stood still, watching them until Maxwell spoke. “Everything looks great. Thank you.”

 

The man nodded and left once again. 

 

Maxwell had a plate full of some sort of steak with shrimp on to and a mix of vegetables. Corey had steak too, but it had some sort of drizzle on top and he could clearly make out the green beans on the side with sliced potatoes. Riley looked down at his own plate and there was a large chicken breast with some sauce that looked like queso. He has mashed potatoes with bacon bits and other unknown things on top, along with corn on the cob.

 

Riley started eating cautiously. It looked a lot different than his typical McDonald's, and he usually wasn't fond of new things.  The potatoes were good, but it's hard to mess those up. He cut a piece of chicken and chewed slowly. His mouth watered immediately. He had never had anything so amazing. He took bite after bite,  enjoying each one more than the last.

 

Maxwell cleared his throat and Riley looked up. “Slow down, Angel. It's not a race.”

 

Corey smiled and tried his food as well.  He ate slowly as Maxwell instructed Riley. It was good, but a little too hot. 

 

“Do you like it?” Maxwell asked as he watched Riley and Corey devour their meal. 

 

Both men nodded between bites and continued. Corey had had a few really nice meals when he liked richer men, but they always had wives so they never ate at the restaurant. Instead, the man would pick up the food and meet Corey at a hotel. Riley always ate the cheapest food. Even as a kid, his parents scraped the bottom of the barrel to afford Ramen. He never even walked past restaurants this fancy until Maxwell. 

 

Maxwell couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched the two most important people in his life enjoy themselves. This was also the first time he had ever seen them so quiet.

 

The waiter passed by when he saw them finishing their meal. “Are we saving room for dessert?”

 

Riley quickly swallowed down what he had in his mouth. “Do you have cake?”

 

“We have had excellent reviews on our triple chocolate molten lava cake,” the waiter offered.

 

“Awesome! I love cake,” Corey smiled. 

 

“Well that settles it. Three slices of chocolate cake,” Maxwell confirmed.

 

“Birthday dinner, check. Cake, check. What do you want for your present?” Riley asked.

 

“Was this not my present?” Maxwell asked, genuinely curious. 

 

“No, we have to get you something,” Riley explained.

 

“I had the love of my life move in with me and agree to work by my side, not to mention this lovely dinner. What more could I want?”

 

Riley paused for a moment to consider arguing with him, but what Maxwell said was too sweet. “Fine,” he said stubbornly.  “But next year you are getting a present.”

 

Maxwell smiled and nodded in agreement.  

 

They went through the cake even faster than they did with dinner, but Maxwell didn't bother stopping them. The waiter offered coffee, but they declined so he left the check.

 

Maxwell put his credit card on the table without even a glance at the check. Riley shook his head quickly. “You can't pay for your own birthday dinner,” he objected.

 

“It's ok, Angel. I don't expect you to pay for it. I'm just happy you came with me.”

 

“Fine, but we are going to knock your socks off when we get home,” Riley responded, determined to make this an amazing birthday. 

 

Maxwell laughed and signed the receipt.  “Then let's get going.” 

 

As soon as they got to Maxwell's apartment, Corey and Riley ran to the bathroom and took off all of their clothes. They stretched out on the bed, eagerly waiting for Maxwell. Maxwell put his leftovers in the refrigerator and put his jacket in the closet. When he looked to the bed, Corey and Riley were both falling asleep. 

 

He carefully spread a blanket over them and went into the living room. He would never admit it, but sitting on the couch and watching the news in peace was a great ending to his birthday. 

  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is so hard not to give out spoilers, but I do take your reviews into consideration. All I will say is that I will go into detail about Corey's past as well as Maxwell's, but it will be a while. Also, I added in some extra sex this chapter. Enjoy!

Maxwell woke up on the couch. It was 6:00 am, the same time he always woke up. He opened his eyes to find Riley on his chest, sleeping soundly. He brushed Riley's hair away from his face and gently stroked his back. Riley's eyes fluttered open, shining a gorgeous crystal blue.

 

“Good morning Angel,” Maxwell rasped, his voice thick with sleep.

 

Riley closed his eyes, stubbornly denying the fact that it was indeed morning. Maxwell smiled and carefully moved over so that Riley could rest on the couch alone. In the process, he kicked something soft.

 

Corey groaned in the floor and buried his face in the pillow he brought from the bedroom. “Ok, ok. I'm up.”

 

“Sorry,” Maxwell whispered as he stepped over Corey and made his way to the bathroom. 

 

He stopped when he noticed his reflection in the mirror. He ran his hand over his head, feeling the length of his hair. His hand dragged across his face slowly. He laid out towels and tarps precisely before turning on his clippers and stepping up to the sink. He brought the clippers to his scalp and the hair fell to his feet. Stroke after stroke, more and more hair fell.

 

He brought his hand to his head over again, giving himself a nod of satisfaction. He brought his to his face before resetting his clippers. He brought clippers to his face, near his ear, and slowly dragging it down his face. He continued until he met the thicker hair around his mouth where he had been growing a goatee. He moved to the other side and then his chin, admiring his work the whole way.

 

He cleaned the clippers with precision and placed them in the drawer. Afterwards, he gathered up the tarp on the floor and let the bits of hair fall in the trash before folding it to put it away with the clippers. He gathered the towels next and put them with his dirty laundry. When he finished, there wasn't a stray hair to be found.

 

He concluded his routine by showering and putting on his house coat. 

 

Riley and Corey were still in the living room where he left them. “Do you want breakfast this morning?” his voice boomed with his usual alert tone.

 

Corey's eyes opened immediately at the mention of food. “Can we get McDonald's?”

 

Riley's eyes opened as well, waiting anxiously for answer. 

 

“If you are ready in time, we can,” Maxwell promised.

 

Riley hopped up and almost tripped over Corey trying to get to the bathroom fast enough. Corey scrambled to his feet and followed right behind him. They couldn't decide who would shower first, so they decided to shower together. This time it was all business. Except for one butt grab by Corey, there was no unnecessary touching. They showered in record time.

 

Riley tugged on a pair of dark pants and a plain t-shirt that could pass for business casual. Corey found a semi clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt to wear. Ever since h stopped working directly under Maxwell, he found that he could get away with less formal clothes. They both walked into their shoes as they headed out to the living room.

 

Maxwell was standing in the kitchen, wearing a well tailored black suit. He poured coffee into his personal mug and screwed on the lid. “Good morning boys.”

 

“Good morning Maxwell,” they responded in unison.

 

Maxwell glanced at his watch. “I think we have time to stop for breakfast. Are you ready to go?”

 

Both men nodded eagerly.

 

After seeing what they ordered, Maxwell made sure they didn't eat it in the car. Instead, they waited until they made it to their desk. Maxwell knew that they would take awhile to eat, but since they made it to the office he could start working while they ate. He ignored the sticky fingerprints on the schedule that Riley handed him.

 

He peeked out of the window to watch Riley occasionally. He seemed to be handling his work better today. It relieved the pressure in Maxwell's chest. He stayed in his office until left for a meeting at 10. 

 

Corey rolled across the room in his chair and stopped right beside Riley's desk. “How are things coming along over here?”

 

“Much better. I think I'm getting the hang of this,” Riley smiled.

 

Corey rested his hand on Riley's thigh and gave it a light squeeze. “I'm happy for you. It took me a week or two to really figure things out. I'm sure you'll like it here.”

 

“I don't think I could have better co-workers,” Riley laughed.

 

“Well aren't you sweet,” Corey said mocking Riley's accent. His hand drifted up Riley's thigh as he talked.

 

“That's not how I sound!” Riley objected.

 

“It's pretty close,” Corey teased.

 

Riley glanced down at Corey's hand as he started to grip his crotch.

 

“Is something wrong?” Corey asked innocently.

 

“We're at work,” Riley whispered.

 

“And? That just makes it more fun,” Corey tempted. “Plus, Maxwell's office has a lock on it.”

 

Riley glanced to Maxwell's office, trying to think of a reason not to go with Corey. Before he could think of one, Corey took his hand and pulled him to Maxwell's office. Once they were inside, Corey locked the door and closed the blinds. 

 

“The key to making this work is staying quiet, ok?”

 

Riley rolled his eyes. “I can stay quiet.”

 

Lust filled Corey's eyes. “Then come here.”

 

Riley smiled and rushed over to him. Corey's hands slid all over Riley's body as he kissed him deeply. His hands slipped under Riley's shirt and trailed over his sides slowly. Soon, he felt Riley's breath coming in small pants.

 

Corey smiled to himself and guided Riley to the desk before turning him around. “Are you sure you can stay quiet?” he asked as he unbuckled Riley's belt and pulled his pants down.

 

Riley nodded and slowly started to bend over. Corey had his hands on Riley's hips immediately. He buried his face in Riley's ass and took no time working his tongue into Riley's hole. He could hear Riley alternating between holding his breath and panting for air.

 

Corey continued until Riley was holding his breath more often than he was gasping for air. Then he began pushing a finger into him. He added a second one until he couldn't push it in anymore.

 

Riley bit into him forearm and moaned as quietly as he could.

 

“What was that?” Corey asked.

 

“I hate you so much,” Riley whined.

 

Corey smiled and began thrusting his fingers in and out of him, until Riley couldn't hold still anymore.

 

They both froze when they heard someone attempt to open the door. “Corey, what are you doing in my office?”

 

Riley stood up quickly and pulled his pants up. When his belt was fastened, he nodded for Corey to open the door. Corey opened the door and smiled innocently. “Hey. How was your meeting?”

 

Max held the key to his office in his hand and slowly walked the office. He scanned the room as he closed the door. “What were you doing?”

 

“Why do you assume we were doing something?” Corey asked as took a few steps back.

 

Max locked the door slowly. “You were both in my office with the door locked. Don't play dumb with me.” He squeezed the obvious outline of an erection in Corey's pants. “I'll ask one more time. What are you doing in my office?”

 

Corey's knees felt weak. He stiffened up slightly to avoid falling. “We were just fooling around,” Corey said quickly.

 

“Didn't I tell you yesterday that I wanted you to behave at work? This is a place of business.”

 

Corey nodded slowly.

 

“So you just decided you would disobey me?”

 

“I'm gonna go with ‘no’,” Corey decided.

 

Max wrapped his fingers tightly around his throat. “Don't sass me.” He pulled Corey to him by his throat and forced him up to his tip toes. “Don't make a sound,” he whispered harshly. “Understand?”

 

Corey swallowed down the lump in his throat and nodded. He didn't have a second to react before Max forced him over the desk and yanked his pants down to his ankles. He heard the all too familiar sound of a belt being pulled from its loops. 

 

He considered getting up or even running, but Max seemed pretty upset already. He braced himself for the hit, but it didn't help. The sting radiated up his spine and he groaned. He could tell that Max wasn't holding back this time. He was using all of his force or at least most of it.

 

“Didn't I tell you to be quiet?” Max scorned. 

 

Corey simply nodded and rested his head on the desk.

 

“Then be a good boy and do as I say,” Max instructed. He barely finished the sentence before the belt connected with Corey's bare ass again. 

 

Riley slowly retreated back to a corner. Max obviously noticed him in the room, but for the moment all of his attention was on Corey.  Was this a preview to how he would be treated? Was Max only mad at a Corey? He didn't want to know the answers, but they caused fear to rise up in his chest. As the fear rose, a more intense feeling sank down to his cock. 

 

Leaving would draw too much attention to him, but staying guaranteed his fate. He stood in shock, watching Max take a belt to Corey's ass over and over. He watched as thick red lashes criss crossed over Corey's ass. He could tell that Corey had to fight to stay silent. There were more than 10 hits, but less than 20. He lost count in the middle, but it was safe to guess that there were a total of 15 hits. 

 

When he was finished, Max slid his belt back around his pants and buckled it. “Stand up,” Max commanded. 

 

Corey stood up straight and after a slight hesitation, turned toward Max. He kept his eyes on the floor, careful not to make any sudden moves as if he were being stalked by a bear.

 

“Pull up your pants.”

 

Corey slowly bent over and tugged his pants up, careful not to brush over his ass. He took extra time to adjust his pants to hide his raging erection. 

 

Max gripped Corey's chin and tilted his head back so Corey would look him in the eye. Corey could tell that he planned to say something, but instead Max placed his lips softly against Corey's. 

 

Riley could see the tension in Corey's body evaporate as Maxwell's lips pressed into his. When Maxwell spoke again, it was a lot softer than it was mere minutes ago. “You need to get to work.”

 

Corey nodded and slowly walked to the door. He paused for a moment to adjust himself before opening the door and returning to his desk.

 

Maxwell sat behind his desk and straightened the papers that were disrupted by Corey laying on them. For a split second, Riley wondered if Maxwell forgot he was here. Then Maxwell's eyes landed directly on him. “I have work to do,” Maxwell stated plainly.

 

Riley took that as a sign to excuse himself.  He made it across the room, but he stopped himself when he reached the door. “Am I not in trouble?” Riley asked quietly.

 

Riley started to repeat himself,  in case Maxwell didn't hear him, but Maxwell’s gaze raised to meet his. “I will deal with you at home. I know you can't stay quiet.”

 

The fear crept back up into his chest as he nodded. He returned to his desk quickly. He couldn't focus on anything for the rest of the day. All he could think about was what would happen at home. Would he have to deal with the same punishment as Corey?  What if he couldn't handle it? What if Maxwell was just waiting to think of something worse?

 

The more he thought about it, the worse his anxiety became. He thought 5 o'clock would never get here, but on the other hand, he wished it would never come.

 

The ride home was agonizingly quiet. Corey and Riley sat quietly like two kids being picked up after getting in trouble at school. They followed Maxwell inside the house, unsure what to expect. Maxwell made sure the door was locked before going to the bedroom. “Angel, I want your pants off.”

 

Riley unbuttoned his pants and kicked them off to the side. Max pulled off his belt, just as he did with Corey. “Lay on the bed.”

 

Riley bent over the bed slowly and tried to brace himself. 

 

The hit came and it hurt. It really hurt. Riley yelled and jumped forward. Max waited for him to settle back into his position before drawing back once more.

 

After the third hit, tears rolled down Riley's cheeks as he pushed himself down the bed where Max wanted him. 

 

After the fifth hit, he stopped jerking away. He stayed at the foot of the bed and flinched before each one.

 

He could hardly feel the last five hits. He was sure that his ass was red all over and mostly numb now. He was so thankful that Max stopped at 10. Max didn't use all of his strength like he did with Corey, but just enough to really make it hurt. 

 

“C'mere Angel,” Max instructed. 

 

Riley pushed himself up to stand and slowly faced Max. To his surprise, Max lifted him off of the floor and pulled him close to kiss him. Riley wrapped his arms around Max's shoulders and slowly slipped into the kiss. 

 

Maxwell slowly pulled him back and whispered, “Are you ok?”

 

Riley nodded. “I'm ok.”

 

Maxwell glanced over at Corey, “Let's lay down for a while before dinner, ok?”

 

Corey nodded and crawled into bed.  Maxwell put Riley beside him and laid down as well. He draped his arm over Riley and gently stroked Corey's side.

 

None of them slept. Maxwell kept his eyes on Corey and Riley to make sure they were ok. Corey watched Riley. Riley closed his eyes and absorbed all the attention he was getting. 

 

After 30 minutes, Maxwell spoke. “Are you getting hungry?”

 

Corey and Riley both nodded. 

 

“I'll start dinner. If you need anything, let me know.” Maxwell rolled off of the bed and went into the kitchen. 

 

With Maxwell gone, Corey wrapped his arms around Riley to replace the warmth that Maxwell had been giving. Riley curled into his touch and buried his face in Corey's neck. 

 

Corey kissed his cheek and slowly worked down Riley's neck. Eventually, Riley lifted his head and pressed his lips into Corey's. 

 

Maxwell made a fairly quick dinner so he could return to Corey and Riley as soon as he could. It was an easy lasagna recipe, but lasagna is messy so they would need to eat it in the kitchen.

 

He carefully calculated each step to the bedroom so he wouldn't step on any creaky boards that might have disturbed them. He hadn't closed the door completely when he left. As he approached the door, he noticed movement. He peeked inside. 

 

Corey was naked, and Riley was only in his boxers. Corey had Riley pinned to the bed under him so he could feel all over his body. Usually Riley would lightly whine or complain about Corey's spontaneous attacks, but this time he didn't seem to be putting up much of a fight. His eyes were closed and would occasionally twitch when Corey did something pleasurable.

 

It fueled Corey to do it more and more until Riley was writhing. Eventually, Riley couldn't take it anymore so he wrapped legs around Corey's waist and pulled him into a passionate kiss. It worked for a while, but soon Corey started kissing down his body. Some of them were light and gentle, but others were harsh with a hint of teeth. As he kissed lower, he started hooking his fingers into Riley's boxers and tugged them down.

 

Max loosened his tie and unbuttoned his shirt as he watched Riley get lost in the pleasure. He waited for the perfect moment to enter the room. Corey finally slipped his mouth over Riley's cock and Riley arched his back off of the bed. That's when Max entered, as quietly as he could. Once fully in the room, he could see that Corey was positioned on his hands and knees at the foot of the bed.

 

Riley moaned loudly as Corey started sliding his mouth up and down his cock. Max opened his condom then used a bit of spit for lube. He put one hand Corey's hip and used other to guide his cock into Corey.

 

Corey gasped and lifted his head quickly. Max stroked his lower back and pressed in further and further into him until his hips were firmly pressed against Corey's.

 

Riley's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at the two men in front of him. He watched Corey's face twist into an expression of overwhelming pleasure with a hint of pain. Max caught Riley's gaze and gave him a wink.

 

“I didn't tell you to stop, Corey,” Max spoke with a deep rumble.

 

Corey leaned down and brought Riley's cock into his mouth. Max waited for him to pick up an even rhythm before he began thrusting into him. Corey did his best to continue satisfying Riley, but every time Maxwell pushed deep into him he had to stop.

 

Riley began to squirm at the unintentional teasing.

 

“You don't cum until Riley does,” Max announced.

 

Corey rested his head on Riley's thigh. He struggled to collect his thoughts. He needed to make Riley cum, but he had to do it with Max practically torturing him. His brain began to overheat as he attempted to form a plan. 

 

Max watched him for a few moments before placing his hand on the back of Corey's neck and squeezing firmly. He guided Corey to Riley's cock. 

 

“Don't stop,” he demanded.

 

Corey opened his mouth and let Max guide him. He let Riley's cock glide over his tongue before resuming the well known bobbing motion.

 

Max kept his hand on the back of Corey's neck. Occasionally, he would allow his other hand to stroke over the scars across Corey's back. His mind lightly wandered, thinking about who and what made these permanent scars that brought Corey so much pain… and pleasure.  When he could feel Corey try to stop or pull away, Max squeezed the nape of his neck and Corey returned to his duties.

 

Corey continued with Max’s reminders, but he couldn't keep a steady pace long enough to make Riley cum. He became increasingly frustrated with himself. He had to find some way to do this, but the harder he tried, the more he failed. 

 

Eventually, an idea sprung to mind. 

 

Corey licked over his fingers to wet them, then slowly worked them into Riley. He took a deep breath and lowered mouth on to Riley's cock once more. He massaged Riley's prostate firmly and continued to blow him. 

 

Max refused to take it easy on him. He thrusted into Corey's prostate, watching the muscles through Corey's back and arms tighten as he restrained himself. He could see that Riley was getting close and knew that Corey would be able to handle it.

 

Moans slipped out from deep in Corey's throat. His cock was pulsing with need and his ass was on fire, shooting sparks up of pleasure up his spine. Finally, he felt Riley's seed fill his mouth.

 

He swallowed quickly and dropped his head to Riley's stomach. The moans spilled out freely, filling the apartment with Corey's voice. Riley rested his hand on Corey's head softly, still riding the aftershocks of his orgasm.

 

“M- Max!” Corey pleaded.

 

It didn't work. Max increased the speed and Corey's hand wrapped around Riley's thigh, squeezing painfully hard. Riley bit his lip to stay quiet and stroked Corey's hair slowly. He wondered if their neighbors would hear, or maybe they were used to it.

 

Max’s hand wrapped around Corey's neck, just under his jaw, and pulled Corey up to his knees. His eyes were clouded,  and Riley watched in awe at how easy Corey could move to where Max wanted him.  

 

Max whispered something in Corey’s ear that Riley couldn't hear. Corey shook his head in response. 

 

Riley could faintly hear Max ask, “What do you need?” 

 

A few tears ran down Corey's cheek and he squeezed his eyes shut. “Pl- Please let me cum,” Corey choked out.

 

“Corey, what do you need?” Max asked again, firmer.

 

“I need you to tell me to cum,” Corey begged.

 

“Good boy,” Max whispered as his free hand ran down Corey's stomach. 

 

Riley could see Corey try to fold over, but Maxwell held him back while only using the hand under Corey's jaw. 

 

“Cum for me,” Max commanded.

 

Corey started cumming immediately. His body tensed repeatedly with exertion. He rested head back on Maxwell's shoulder and breathed heavily. His body bowed out from Maxwell, with his hips and head still being held in place.  

 

Waves of relief crashed over Corey and he couldn't form a plan for what to do next. He opened his mouth to speak, but Max stopped him.

 

“Shh,” Max whispered, “Just relax.”

 

He gently pulled away just enough to lift Corey into his arms. “Riley, are you ok?”

 

Riley nodded and sat up.

 

“Change the sheets for us, ok? We’ll be right back.”

 

Riley paused for a moment, then nodded. When Maxwell went into the bathroom with Corey, he couldn't help but glare at the door. ‘Us? We? Since when was it Corey and Maxwell?’ he thought to himself.

 

He ripped the blankets off of the bed and threw them in the floor. He pulled blankets out of the closet and made the bed, but purposefully made it look sloppy. He could hear Maxwell and Corey getting in the bath tub.

 

Riley wanted a bath. He wanted Maxwell to hold him in the tub and run water all over his body. He stared at the door and listened to subtle movement in the water and faint whispering. He was furious, but he felt tears filling his eyes. He stormed off down the hall and started the shower. If he wasn't welcome with them then he would shower alone.

 

It didn't feel the same.

 

He didn't shower long. He washed off and got out immediately. He was going back to the bedroom when he noticed the spare room. He looked inside. He didn't really want to sleep on dinosaur sheets, but he hated the idea of sleeping in Maxwell's room more. 

 

He went into the spare room and closed the door. He climbed into bed, but it felt so empty. He moved around, trying to get comfortable, but it didn't work. Eventually,  he heard footsteps down the hall, probably Corey and Maxwell going to bed.

 

He noticed Channing in the corner. It might be too hard and too loud for him to try to get Channing on the bed. Riley pulled the blanket off of the bed and sat in the floor. He leaned back against Channing and pulled the blanket over himself.

 

He was laying in the floor, but it was much more comfortable than being alone in the bed.

 


	8. Chaper 8

It took a while for Maxwell to get Corey into a deep sleep. He knew something was wrong when he saw the blankets thrown in the floor. The fact that Riley wasn't in the bed and hadn't come back yet solidified the thought.

 

When Corey was fully asleep, Maxwell went through the apartment looking for Riley. He spotted the top of Riley's head when he looked into the spare room.  

 

“Riley,” he whispered. 

 

He slowly walked closer to find Riley on the floor, lying on Channing with a blanket pulled over him. He couldn't wake Riley just to ask him questions. Maybe he was more comfortable here. There would be plenty of time to talk tomorrow. 

 

He fetched a glass of water from the kitchen and put it on the nightstand beside Riley. He kneeled beside him and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. “Good night,” he whispered. 

 

He went back to his room and crawled in bed behind Corey. He wrapped an arm around Corey and held him tight. His mind raced, forming ridiculous ideas of what could have made Riley leave the room.  He considered going back and carrying Riley to bed with him, but Riley always preferred to have his space when he was upset. 

 

Of all the ideas that popped into his mind,  the thought that Riley could have felt abandoned made him feel the worst. Riley was always his first priority, even Corey knew that. But Riley had wanted to include Corey in their relationship, so there was no way he could be jealous. 

 

Maxwell tried to push the thoughts away, but it kept him awake for the rest of night.  Corey stirred occasionally through the night, so Maxwell rubbed his back soothingly until he fell back asleep.

 

His alarm went off much too soon, but he let it ring long enough to wake Corey. 

 

“Good morning,” he whispered as he tapped the button to stop the alarm. 

 

Corey sighed and pressed his face into the pillow. 

 

“Time to get up, Corey.”

 

Corey lifted his head and looked over at Maxwell. “Do I have to?”

 

Maxwell smiled and kissed him. “You have a job to go to.”

 

Corey glanced around the room.  “Where's Riley?”

 

“He slept in the spare room. Everything is fine,” Maxwell assured him. 

 

Corey didn't believe him, but he didn't push the issue. 

 

“Are you changing here or going home?”

 

“I think I should go home,” Corey said as he sat up in bed. 

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Um, yeah,” Corey nodded as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I'll see you at work.” Corey dressed quickly and collected his things. 

 

“Ok, I'll see you later,” Maxwell said as he watched from the bed. He waited until he heard Corey leave the apartment before going into the spare room. 

 

The bed was made and Riley was nowhere to be seen. Maxwell looked through the apartment and found Riley in the bathroom. 

 

Riley stood at the mirror brushing his hair. He looked startled when Maxwell opened the door suddenly.

 

“Hey, how are you?” Maxwell asked calmly.

 

“Fine,” Riley replied before turning his attention back to the mirror. 

 

“Did you want to talk about any-...?”

 

“No,” Riley interrupted. 

 

“You aren't going to talk to me about last night?”

 

“What is there to say?”

 

“You could tell me why you left and slept in the spare room.”

 

“Because I wanted to.”

 

“Riley, I know you are angry. I just want to know why.”

 

“I need to get dressed,” Riley mumbled as he pushed past Maxwell to leave. He went into the bedroom and picked out what he would wear. 

 

Maxwell took a deep breath and followed a few steps behind him. “We can go shopping tonight.”

 

“I don't want to,” Riley said firmly. “I like my clothes just fine.”

 

“It isn't about that. There's a dress code and you have to follow it.”

 

“So you're going to fire me?”

 

“Riley, if you can't follow the rules, you can't work for me and I'm not going to deal with your attitude all day.”

 

“Ok,” Riley said plainly.

 

That was the last thing he said for the rest of the day. They didn't talk in the car.  Riley went straight to his desk when they arrived. He placed Maxwell's schedule on his desk without a word. He left for lunch to avoid both Maxwell and Corey. 

 

Corey didn't try to talk to him at his desk and Maxwell stayed in his office. Corey wasn't sure what was going on between Maxwell and Riley, but he didn't want to get in the middle.  

 

Corey went straight home after work. 

 

“Corey,” his neighbor said as he noticed Corey coming home. “I need to tell you something.”

 

Corey stopped. “Yeah, what is it?”

 

“Some guy came here looking for you.”

 

“Some guy? Who was it?”

 

“I don't know, he said he was going to come by and see you. He seemed like a nice guy.”

 

“Oh, well. Thanks.”

 

Corey glanced down the hall and went inside his apartment. He locked the door,  but it didn't feel like enough. Why would a random guy come looking for him? He started to call Maxwell, but he guessed Maxwell had enough on his plate right now. 

 

He looked at the door and unlocked it, then locked it back to be sure. 

 

_____

 

Riley continued his silent treatment in the car. Maxwell gripped the steering wheel tightly on his way home. The moment the car was in park, Riley got out of the car and went inside. 

 

He followed him into the apartment and locked the door. “Riley, this isn't going to work. You're going to have to talk to me.”

  
  


Riley let out a heavy sigh and plopped on the couch. "I'm tired tonight. Can you just leave me alone?"   
  
"No," Maxwell said firmly with a hint of anger in his tone. "I've left alone all day. I told you that I will not tolerate you icing me out. Now you need to talk to me."   
  
Riley was quiet for a moment, deciding how much further he could push. "If you want to talk so bad, go talk to Corey."   
  
"That's what he's here for," Riley added under his breath.   
  
Maxwell sat on the couch beside him. "So this is about Corey? Are you worried that he's going to replace you?"   
  
Riley folded his arms and shook his head.   
  
"Are you jealous of him? Do you think I'm giving him too much attention? What is it?"   
  
"It's not Corey... It's me,'' Riley mumbled quietly.   
  
"This is supposed to benefit us all. If something is making you uncomfortable, you have to tell me so it can be fixed."   
  
Riley sighed. "There was just something about last night. Y'all were so close and I wasn't..."   
  
"Did you want to join us?"   
  
"No, that's... I know why you took him to the bathroom. I didn't want to impose, he needed to be with you, but I... I wanted to be with you."   
  
Maxwell frowned. "You're always welcome with us. You are the most important thing to me. Nothing comes before you."   
  
"Yeah, I know."   
  
Maxwell knew there was more to discuss, but Riley clearly wasn't able to get his thoughts together. Pushing him to talk would make things worse. He scooted closer to Riley and gently stroked his leg. "Corey is at home. We can be together, just the two of us, tonight."   
  
Riley leaned away from his touch. "I don't… I don't want to do anything tonight."   
  
Maxwell removed his hand quickly. He tried to stop himself from taking it personally, but it was difficult. He was so accustomed to Riley coming to him for comfort. Now he couldn't even touch Riley without him withdrawing.   
  
"I'm sorry," Riley said as he pulled his knees to his chest.   
  
"Riley," Maxwell said as he reached out to him. He stopped, leaving his hand inches from Riley's shoulder. He couldn't convince Riley to talk and he couldn't comfort him. Maxwell sighed and put his hand on the couch.   
  
He could see Riley wiping away tears, but couldn't find anything to do. "It's ok. We don't have to do anything. Do you want to just lay in bed and watch tv tonight?"   
  
Riley rubbed his eyes, trying to make himself stop crying, but didn't speak.   
  
"Riley, we don't have to do anything at all. We don't have to have sex. We don't have to talk, watch tv, eat dinner, or anything else. I'm not upset with you. Can I at least hold you?"   
  
"I'm sorry," Riley repeated as his cries turned into sobs. He couldn't do the same things for Maxwell that Corey did. He couldn't talk to him the way Corey did and right now he could barely talk at all. He wasn't afraid that Maxwell would leave him for Corey, but he thought it would be better for them both.   
  
"Sweetheart, why are you sorry?"   
  
"I can't-" Riley started before losing his thought in his cries. "I'm sorry that I can't-," he tried again. He continued losing himself in his own tears, which only made him feel worse.    
  
He pushed himself to his feet so that he could at least go to the bedroom. He only took one step before Maxwell wrapped his arms around Riley's slender frame. He tried to move so that he didn't soak Maxwell's shirt in tears and snot, but Maxwell held him against his chest.   
  
"Shh, it's ok," Maxwell said softly.   
  
Riley wasn't sure if Maxwell knew what he was thinking or not, but he didn't fight him anymore. He rested his head against Maxwell's chest and cried freely. He eventually ran out of tears and just leaned against Maxwell's chest, trying to keep his breathing even.   
  
Maxwell rubbed his back in large circles to help him calm down. It was soothing and made Riley sleepy. He could feel himself drifting off when Maxwell lifted him off of the floor. Suddenly, he was being cradled in Maxwell's arms.    
  
They stopped in the bathroom. Maxwell sat him on the sink and stroked his hair. Maxwell handed him a tissue. "Blow your nose Angel."   
  
Riley blew his nose into tissue and put it on the sink. Maxwell handed him another so he repeated the action.   
  
"Better," Maxwell nodded and he put a washcloth under warm water. He stopped the water and squeezed out the excess water before wiping Riley's face. He started by wiping away the tear streaks on his cheeks. Then he washed Riley's face in long gentle strokes. 

 

It was the first time in a long time that Riley felt important and cared for. Even though he was being distant and short, Maxwell still loved him. He had pushed Maxwell away all day and now he was taking the time to wipe away his tears. 

 

Emotions always hit Riley so hard. Everything inside if him just wanted to shut down and close everyone out. It sucked, but when it was over things were somehow worse because he realized what he'd done. Most of the time he had hurt people he cared about or completely ruined relationships because they couldn't handle his outbursts. 

 

This time was no different. He completely pulled away from Maxwell. Corey probably thought something was wrong too because he didn't come over after work. He refused to talk to Maxwell or even be touched by him. All Maxwell wanted to do was understand and help, but he pushed him away. He pushed him away and Maxwell was still here caring for him.

 

Tears welled up in his eyes.

 

Maxwell tipped Riley's head back so he could look him in the eyes. “I love you Riley.”

 

Tears rolled down Riley's cheeks and he nodded as he tried to wipe the tears away. He knew that. He knew that Maxwell loved him. He knew that Maxwell would love him no matter how irrational he was being.

 

“Alright,” Maxwell said quietly as he used a tissue to stop Riley tears. “Do you want to lay down for a while?”

 

Riley nodded as he focused on stopping any other tears that might try to escape. 

 

Maxwell lifted him off of the sink and carried him into the bedroom. He grabbed a box of tissues and put them on the nightstand. Then he pulled the covers back and laid Riley on the bed. “Do you want to keep your jeans on?”

 

Riley shook his head and unbuttoned his pants. He pushed his pants off of his hips and Maxwell helped him get them all the way off before pulling the blanket over him.

 

Maxwell took off his shirt that was still damp with tears and a bit of snot and put it in the hamper along with Riley's jeans. When he turned back to the bed, Riley was looking directly at him. 

 

“Do you need anything? Water?  Juice?  Are you getting hungry?”

 

Riley stared at him for a moment longer before responding. “No… I just want you to come lay down for a while.”

 

Maxwell pulled the covers back and laid down beside him. Riley was against him instantly, clinging to him. Maxwell wrapped his arms around Riley protectively.

 

_____

 

Corey couldn't sleep, his eyes were wide open when his alarm clock went off. For the first time since he bought the clock, he reached over and gently tapped the button on top to stop the loud ringing. He was somewhat relieved to have a reason to get out of his bed. He had hours upon hours to think of the worst possibilities. Between Riley being withdrawn and his new stalker, there were lots of possibilities.

 

After a long, thorough shower, Corey concluded that he shouldn't over react. Technically, he wasn't sure that he was being stalked. One of his friends could have come in from out of town and they just wanted to surprise him. Yeah, that must be it. It was the only thing that made sense.

 

Unless… It could have been an ex that tracked him down. Not all of his relationships ended on good terms. They could have seen him downtown and followed him home. What if they were violent?

 

It would be much safer to stay with Maxwell. Or would it? He couldn't risk putting Maxwell or Riley in danger. If the stalker followed him to Maxwell's place then he may hurt them too. If he avoided going to Maxwell's apartment, Riley and Maxwell would know something was wrong.

 

He grabbed a towel and dried his face. He was overthinking it again. He just needed to get to work. There would be things there to keep his mind busy.

 

Corey put on the first pair of pants he saw, then picked up a shirt off the floor and gave it a sniff test. Good enough. He put his arms through and buttoned it up. He glanced at the mirror on his way out of the door.

 

The more he started moving, the more tired he became. Thankfully he passed at least three coffee shops on his way to work. Corey stopped at the one closest to the office. There was quite a line, but that was expected. Two people came in after him. A little time went by before the bell of the door chimed again.

 

A few people in line, including Corey, looked to the door. There was a tall man walking through the door. He had a gray hoodie on, with the hood pulled over his head, and sweatpants that were a darker gray were hanging low on his hips. Corey couldn't see his face and it was possible that this person was just a random guy that didn't like mornings and had nowhere important to go, but deep down Corey knew it was the same guy he saw outside of his office building.

 

Corey turned around to face the front of the line. There was only one person in front of him, but waiting for her to order seemed like an eternity. Corey had an uneasy feeling that he was being watched and studied. When the lady finished her order, he stepped forward quickly to order coffee and a bagel.

 

He could tell that he was moving around anxiously as he waited, but he couldn't stop. Someone was following him and he was only a few feet away. Maybe he should confront him. That didn't make sense, why would he approach a stranger? He didn't know what that man was capable of. Obviously, the man had a lot of balls to risk getting caught. 

 

A hint of arousal started to mix with the fear in his gut.

 

“Corey,” a light voice called out.

 

The voice pulled him back to reality. A young woman held out his order for him to take.

 

“Oh, thanks,” Corey mumbled as he took his order and rushed out of the door. 

 

The office was less than two blocks away, but Corey felt the need to almost sprint down the sidewalk to get there. He took the time to catch his breath once he was inside the elevator. He was going insane. Either this was all in his head or he was in danger, but Corey didn't know which one was more frightening.

 

He looked around on his floor, but Maxwell and Riley were nowhere to be seen. He went to his desk and scanned the room before deciding to eat.

 

It took two hours before Maxwell and Riley decided to show up. For a moment, Corey wondered if he came to work two hours early. A quick glance at the clock cleared that thought from his mind.

 

Maxwell held Riley's hand a second longer than normal when Riley turned to go to his desk. It was enough for Riley to notice as well because he stopped and took a step back to Maxwell. He raised up on his toes and Maxwell rewarded him with a kiss.

 

It was good to see Riley back to himself. It made Corey more confident about going to talk to Maxwell. He didn't want to bombard Maxwell as soon as he walked in his office though, so he waited. He watched the clock for exactly an hour before leaving his desk.

 

He knocked on Maxwell's door. It was cracked so as he knocked, the door opened. Maxwell looked up at him. “Hey Corey. Come on in.”

 

Corey stepped into his office and closed the door behind him. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”

 

“Of course. Have a seat.”

 

Corey nodded and sat in front of the desk. “I've been noticing some things recently. I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want to worry you but-”

 

“It's ok,” Maxwell interrupted. “I know Riley has been a bit different, but it's not your fault. He isn't upset with you or anything.”

 

Corey only had a few seconds to decide how he wanted to proceed. He could correct Maxwell, but this was a really easy way out of telling Maxwell about the stalker. He took a deep breath.

 

“I'm really glad,” Corey started. “I didn't want to cause any trouble between the two of you.”

 

“No, you haven't caused any trouble. I appreciate you coming to me though.”

 

“Of course. I'll always come to you.” Corey felt sick immediately after he said it.

 

“Good. Is there anything else?”

 

He had a second chance to say something. He should just get it off of his chest. “No, that's it,” Corey answered as he stood up.

 

“Are you doing anything this evening?”

 

“Um, no,” Corey answered cautiously.

 

“I was thinking about taking Riley shopping after work to get him some new clothes. If he agrees, you're welcome to come with us,” Maxwell offered.

 

“Sure, just let me know,” Corey answered. He wanted to avoid his apartment as long as he could.

 

Maxwell nodded and Corey took that as a sign that he was dismissed. He went back to his desk and finished up his work.

 

Riley went to Corey's desk just after 4:00. He leaned against the edge of the desk and smiled. It wasn't his usual bright cheerful smile, but it was genuine. “Still working?” he asked.

 

“Nope, just waiting for Jackson to leave so I can clock out.”

 

“Max is still working too. He said we are going to shop a bit before going home, wanna come?”

 

“Yeah. I'd love to.”

 

Corey could see the tension in Riley's shoulders ease as his face lit up. “Ok, good,” Riley smiled as he turned on his heels to go back to his desk.

 

Corey smiled to himself as he watched Riley's hips sway with each step. Riley was only halfway to his desk when he stopped and walked back to Corey. He took a brief look around before leaning down and kissing Corey.

 

It was more than a polite peck. He rested his hands on Corey's shoulders and pulled him into it, running his tongue over Corey's lips and drawing him in only to pull away far too soon.

 

When he stood, Riley could feel Corey's hands on his hips and openly feeling his ass. Riley blushed and walked away without a word.

 

It was always easy to pull a reaction from Riley. He was so new to this kind of relationship and every little thing made him blush. As much as Corey loved it, he always worried about someone taking advantage of it. Thankfully, Maxwell would never let that happen.

 

_____

 

“Max, I can't wear any of this. I look really stupid,” Riley complained.

 

“It's just khakis and a polo,” Maxwell responded, rubbing his temples to ease his frustration.

 

“I look like I'm in middle school!” Riley objected.

 

“If you don't like khaki then you should try some black pants,” Corey suggested.

 

Riley looked to Maxwell for permission. He nodded. “Black is fine.”

 

Riley walked through the store and picked out a few pairs of pants that he liked. He went into the dressing room and tried them on. “I hate shopping for clothes,” Riley shouted.

 

The workers glanced in their direction, but didn't speak up.

 

“What's wrong, Angel? Do you want me to grab a different size?”

 

“I grabbed two different sizes. I can't button the first pair and the second is just too baggy.”

 

“Ok, come here. Let me see.”

 

Riley pushed the door to the dressing open and Corey caught it before it slammed against the wall. Riley stood in the doorway and Maxwell looked him over. He kneeled beside him felt the pants to determine fit. Other than the generally baggy fit from his thighs down, there also a good 3 inches of material left on the floor that Riley was stepping on.

 

“Other than the fit, do you like the pants?”

 

Riley looked down at the pants and nodded.

 

“Ok. Get this size in the other pants you want too. I'll have them tailored.”

 

Riley thought about it. He didn't want Maxwell to spend the extra money, but he knew Maxwell had a lot of his own clothes tailored. “Ok,” he agreed. He went back into the dressing room and changed into his jeans. He handed Maxwell the pants he liked and put the rest back.

 

“What about shirts? I still don't like the polos.”

 

“What about button ups? You can get solid colors or stripes,” Maxwell suggested.

 

Riley sighed and looked around the store.

 

Corey started to help, but he noticed a man walking down the sidewalk in jeans and a hoodie. His heart started pounding in his chest. This was all in his head. He was just being paranoid.

 

“Corey,” Maxwell called out.

 

Corey turned quickly. Maxwell and Riley were both staring at him.

 

“Are you ok?” Maxwell asked softly.

 

“Yeah. I'm good. I was thinking that Riley always looks nice in blue.”

 

Riley picked up a pale blue shirt. “Like this?”

 

Corey nodded.

 

“Looks good to me,” Maxwell confirmed. “You should get one long sleeved and one short sleeved.”

 

Riley looked around and grabbed one with short sleeves. He did the same for green and red. He spotted a long sleeved white shirt with blue stripes on their way to checkout, so he grabbed that one too.

 

The final price was well over $200. Maxwell spending money on him still made him feel sick. He didn't say anything about it, but Maxwell noticed the look on his face and kissed the top of his head. “You'll be getting your own paychecks soon, then you can pay for whatever you want.”

 

Riley smiled. He knew that even when he was making money, Maxwell would still pay for most things unless Riley insisted.

 

Corey didn't my say anything, even after they got in the car. Maxwell and Riley could feel that something was wrong.

 

“Are you coming over for dinner or do you just want to go home?” Riley asked. He still felt that Corey had forgiven him for ignoring him, but in the back of his mind, Riley wondered if this was his fault.

 

Corey didn't respond to him.

 

Maxwell glanced at Corey in the rearview mirror. He was looking out of the window. “Corey?”


	9. Chapter 9

Corey used to walk down streets like the one they were driving on often. He could never afford anything in the stores, but he enjoyed window shopping, which usually consisted of looking in the windows to see what clothes he liked that were close enough to the door for him to steal. It was easiest when he could see the sizes and grab exactly what he wanted and run out quickly. He never shopped in nice neighborhoods anymore. Not just because people knew him as a thief in many of them, but because he was reminded that he was a thief. It made him wonder if he would ever be anything more than a thief. He wondered if he could ever be someone that didn't search the street for change to buy a McChicken. He didn't want to date awful guys just to have a decent meal every night. And most of all, he wanted to become someone more than his father.

Those streets haunted him with memories of who he was and what he could have been. Worst of all, it made him think of what he lost.

The loss, in his mind, was karma for all of the things he took from stores like the ones around him. He stole merchandise from stores so karma stole the love of his life. The saying is true, karma is a BITCH.

He always had one good memory of streets like this. The day that began one of his longest relationships. The day he would never forget, no matter how hard he tried.

It was a Saturday morning, and the streets were filled with people searching for a classy, stylish outfit for their next party. There were a few people from the city and many more who lived in the suburbs or just outside of the city, who were making their weekly trip into town. Busy days were the easiest times to steal. Everyone was so caught up in their own business and workers were trying to make a sale. One quiet person, walking in and immediately leaving wasn't very noticeable.

He browsed the streets looking for something that was appealing to him. After almost an hour, he began to notice one specific person always half a block behind him. Corey wasn't a stranger to the city streets so after he made a few unusual turns to test his newfound stalker, he turned into an alley and waited. 

He heard quick footsteps a moment before the man turned the corner. “Why are you following me?” Corey asked aggressively. 

“Uh, I wasn't,” the man attempted. 

“So you walked into a random alley to take a piss?” Corey asked sarcastically. 

The man looked up at the alley he walked into it, searching for a logical reason why he would be there. But it as clear that there was no reason he would be there. “Fine, I was following you,” he admitted. “I was just trying to get a picture, man.”

Corey's face twisted with disgust. 

The guy held up his hands defensively. “Ok, that sounded worse out loud. I'm a photographer. I take pictures of scenery or I'll sit in a populated area and take pictures of interesting people. I'm not stalking you, I just couldn't get a good picture because you kept moving,” the man explained. 

“Following people will get you arrested.”

“Yeah, I tend to get infatuated with something and forget about everything else,” he confessed sheepishly.

Corey squinted at him. “Are you hitting on me?”

“I was just trying to convince you to let me take your picture, but I wouldn't mind buying you dinner either.” A proud grin spread across the man’s face.

“Fine,” Corey said with a stubborn attitude. 

“Ok. I saw an Italian place a few blocks away. I'll meet you there at 7,” the man agreed as he turned to leave.

“I meant I would take the picture!” Corey shouted, but the man was gone. He considered chasing the man down the street, but it wasn't worth it. He was getting a free dinner and the guy was pretty hot. He continued down the road shopping for a new outfit for his date.

______

“Corey!” Maxwell said loudly.

Corey looked up at him. “What?”

Maxwell and Riley looked rather confused. “Are you ok?” Riley asked softly. 

“Yeah. I'm fine. Why?”

“No reason,” Maxwell interrupted before Riley could answer. Corey had been weird all day, pointing it out wouldn't help. “Do you want to come over for dinner?”

The conversation pulled him back to his current state. He had a real stalker now. It wasn't cute and it was starting to get to him. Being with Maxwell was his best option. Even if someone did show up, Maxwell would certainly scare them off. “Yeah,” Corey answered quietly.

Maxwell ordered pizza to be delivered. Corey was present, but his mind was elsewhere. He sat on the couch with Maxwell and Riley. They talked to each other and Corey remained quiet. Occasionally they would say something that involved him and he would nod or give a one word answer.

The conversation died down as Riley become more interested in getting Corey's attention. He knew something was wrong and it hurt that he couldn't help. There was a knock at the door so he went to answer it. 

Maxwell moved over to sit beside Corey and put his hand on Corey's knee. “Corey, are you ok?”

Corey looked up at him and started to respond.

“Don't say that you're fine. I want to know what's wrong.”

Corey looked into his eyes, debating what he should say. He knew he could trust Maxwell, but he was still worried about putting him in danger or worrying him. “I'm just not feeling it tonight. I should go home.”

“Corey, we don't have to do anything tonight. If you need to talk, I'm here.”

“I know and I really appreciate it, but I think it's best if it go,” Corey said solemnly.

Maxwell nodded and leaned away. “I understand.”

Riley walked into the living room with pizza. “You're leaving?”

Corey stood up. “Yeah, I'm just not feeling that great tonight.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Riley said as he dropped the pizza on the table and went to the bedroom.

“Riley,” Corey called out. “Riley, it isn't your fault. I just-” The bedroom door slammed and Corey sighed.

“It's ok. I'll handle it,” Maxwell assured him.

“Thanks, I'll have to make it up to him.”

“Don't worry. Take care of yourself first. If you need anything just call me, ok?”

“Yeah. I will. Thanks Maxwell.” He patted his pockets to make sure he had everything. 

“Take one of the pizzas with you. We won't eat it all.”

Corey gave a thankful smile and grabbed the box on top before he left.

Maxwell pushed himself up from the couch and went into the bedroom. Riley was laying face down across the bed with his feet hanging off the edge.

“Riley,” Maxwell said softly. “You know Corey isn't upset with you, right?”

“Did he say that?”

“No, he didn't say anything. He didn't need to say anything. If it was about you, he wouldn't have agreed to go shopping with us,” Maxwell explained.

Riley sighed and pressed his face into the bed.

Maxwell sat on the bed beside him and rubbed his back. “Angel, you have days where you like being alone as well. Shouldn't we respect Corey's wishes?”

Riley nodded slowly.

“Do you want to do something to get your mind off of it?”

Riley rolled over and looked at Maxwell skeptically. “Like what?”

“Whatever you want to do.”

“Can we play a game?”

Maxwell smiled and nodded. “Anything you want.”

“What kind of board games do you have?”

Maxwell's smile faltered. He didn't exactly have people over often. He might not have anything that Riley liked. “I think I have monopoly somewhere.”

“I love monopoly!” Riley cheered.

Maxwell searched the apartment for the board game and read the rules while Riley snacked on pizza. “Ok, I think I understand the game. Are you ready to play?”

Riley nodded and plopped down in the floor next to the coffee table. “I'm ready!”

Maxwell lost miserably.

Riley cheered and laughed every time Maxwell had to pay him. ”What's so funny?” Maxwell asked.

“You're awful at this game,” Riley laughed.

Maxwell smiled and threw a mini house at Riley's chest. The laughing stopped when Riley felt the object hit his chest. He looked down in his lap and picked up the item. “Did you throw a house at me?”

“You can't prove it was me.”

Riley chucked it across the table at Maxwell's head. He ducked and laughed. “Hey, I didn't aim at your face!”

“So you admit that it was you?” Riley teased.

Maxwell picked up a hotel piece and threw it at Riley. “I didn't admit to anything.”

“You're going to make a mess,” Riley shouted as he threw multiple houses at Maxwell.

“That's my line,” Maxwell laughed. “Plus, you're making the mess!” Maxwell responded as he dramatically army crawled across the floor toward Riley.

Riley screamed and laughed as Maxwell pulled him down to pin him on the floor. “You're going to have to clean that up.”

“No way!” Riley objected.

“No?” Maxwell asked.

Riley slowly shook his head.

Maxwell's hands wrapped around his sides and began tickling him. Riley screamed and thrashed until Maxwell stopped. “Now will you clean it up?”

Riley tried to subtly wiggle away, but Maxwell stopped him. “Nice try,” Maxwell laughed.

“You know what we haven't done in a while?” Riley asked.

“Clean the apartment?” Maxwell asked.

Riley rolled his eyes. “I was thinking of something more dirty than clean. Since we are alone… at home… alone.”

“Are you tempting me with sex to get out of cleaning?”

“Would you rather have sex or a clean apartment?” Riley tempted.

It took Maxwell a little too long to decide so Riley began laughing. “Is it really that hard to decide?”

“I like having a clean apartment,” Maxwell defended as he stood up.

Riley groaned and pushed himself to his feet. “Fine.”

“But I like having sex with you more,” Maxwell concluded as he lifted Riley off of the floor and carried him to the bedroom.

Riley squealed with delight as he was carried away. Maxwell placed him gently on the bed. Riley smiled and wrapped his arms around him. Maxwell placed a kiss on Riley's cheek, then his nose, then his chin. Riley whined impatiently.

Maxwell smiled at his eagerness and finally placed a kiss on Riley's lips. Riley pulled him as close he could, kissing him passionately. Maxwell's hands roamed over his body as if he were touching Riley for the first time. He explored Riley's body, memorizing each curve of his figure.

Riley began squirming in his grasp.

“You are so beautiful,” Maxwell breathed.

“Max, you're killing me here,” Riley lightly laughed.

Maxwell smirked. “I'm sorry, Angel,” he expressed. “Let me get right to the point.” He brought his fingers into his mouth briefly to wet them. His hand slid between their bodies and firmly pressed at Riley's hole.

Riley rested his forehead against the crook of Maxwell's neck when he felt Maxwell's fingers breach him. “Is that what you were waiting for, Angel?”

Riley nodded against his neck. “Good,” Maxwell grinned as he pushed his fingers deep inside of Riley.

“Max!” Riley cried out.

“I've missed having you scream for me, and only me,” Maxwell punctuated with a sharp twist of his fingers.

Riley's hand wrapped around Maxwell's arm just above the elbow. “Oh fuck!” he screamed.

“That's it, Angel,” Maxwell praised as he added a third finger. “Maybe I should grab the cuffs from the closet.”

Riley arched his back and couldn't help grinding into his fingers.

“Is that a yes?” Maxwell asked as he slowly removed his fingers.

Riley nodded and wordlessly turned over to lay on his stomach. Maxwell cuffed one wrist and laced it through the headboard before cuffing the other. He grabbed Riley's hips and pulled them up. Riley held himself in that position obediently.

“Good boy.”

Maxwell spread lube over his cock thoroughly and kneeled behind Riley. He grabbed Riley's ass with both hands and pressed into him firmly. Riley quickly adjusted to the girth. Maxwell began a steady pace, pushing deeper with each thrust.

It felt like an eternity before Riley could feel Maxwell's hips press against his plump ass. He heard a low groan behind him as Maxwell bottomed out in him. Maxwell quickened the pace, remaining deep inside of Riley's ass.

Biting pillows and muffling his moans in his arm didn't help after that. Riley began gasping and panting desperately. Moans spilled out with ease, and he couldn't hold anything back. Maxwell started pulling Riley's hips back to meet each thrust. Every movement lit up his nerves deep inside.

As his need to cum rose to the front of his mind, Riley's moans grew into screams. Maxwell wrapped his hand around Riley's cock, but refused to stroke him. “What is it, Angel?”

Riley's mouth fell open at the warm touch. ”I- ahhhh! Max! Please!” 

Maxwell didn't slow down or ease up for him. He continued, pounding his hips into Riley's.

“I need to-.... Please I'm-.... Let me,” Riley gave in and moaned repeatedly into the bed.

“Almost, baby. You can do it. Just ask me.”

“ Max… please… can I-... Ahhhh, I need to cum!” Riley shouted.

“Good boy,” Maxwell praised with a brief kiss to his neck. “Cum for me, Angel.”

Riley pressed his forehead down into the bed and screamed as he came. Maxwell held his hips steady as he began to thrust deep into him, beginning his own climax.

Maxwell uncuffed Riley's wrists and pulled to his chest as soon as he could. Riley began to cling to him quickly. Maxwell smiled, “ Are you ok?”

Riley nodded slowly. “I'm really good.”

Maxwell smiled to himself. At least for now, Riley would feel content and happy. They didn't say much to each other for the rest of the night, but there was no need to. Everything was wonderful.

_____

Corey minimized his contact with Maxwell and Riley. He was friendly and agreed to dinner, but always made excuses to leave after an hour or two.

His stalker didn't go away. 

Most of the time it was a shadow at the edge of his vision. Sometimes he was a dark figure standing far enough away to be unnoticeable. The most haunting occasions were the times he had a clear image of a man that could be an innocent bystander or a dangerous man testing how close he could get without being addressed. And Corey couldn't force himself not to see it. The chance of it all being in his imagination became the prominent idea in his mind. When does schizophrenia start again? Was it 23 or 24? Probably somewhere in the mid twenties. Either way, he was due some hallucinations.

The idea stayed with him for over a week. The worry must have been all over his face because Maxwell and Riley were both acting differently around him. They asked what's wrong and he dismissed them. Riley assumed he was sad and became extra uplifting to cheer Corey up. Maxwell had an entirely different approach. He was quieter. He watched more than he spoke and hovered over Corey, protecting him from everything he could.

They kept up these roles at dinner as well, his favorite restaurant. Riley must have suggested it. Riley told jokes and Corey smiled along, trying to make Riley feel better. Maxwell scanned the room every few minutes and made sure Corey was always in his line of sight.

Corey scanned the room a few times himself, wondering if the mystery man had finally disappeared. The moment he got his hopes up, he noticed a man out on the sidewalk. His back was to the restaurant and he was staring out at the street. Other than his odd choice in clothing, the man looked absolutely average.

Riley told a joke and Corey chuckled instinctively. It must have not sounded genuine because after that Riley didn't say much. He couldn't hurt Riley. This was getting out of hand. He had to say something.

Maxwell must have noticed some change because his eyes narrowed and his entire being tensed, prepared to attack. Corey could almost hear a low warning growl form deep in Maxwell's throat.

What could he say? Have you guys noticed a guy following me? Do you get this strange feeling that you are being watched? Is that guy standing on the street just in my imagination? 

Corey opened his mouth and forced himself to speak. “Hey, Max?”

He had Maxwell's attention immediately. Probably because he tried so hard to sound casual that he called him Max instead of Maxwell. Only Riley called him Max. He took a deep breath.

“Do you see the guy outside in the gray jacket?”

Maxwell looked over to the street, scanning across the visible parts of the street. “No.”

A lump formed in the back of Corey's throat. It was just him. It's ok, now he knew. Now he could ignore the man, he wasn't real. He had to ignore it. Corey looked over to the street, prepared to tell Maxwell to forget he said anything.

“Wait, do you mean that guy?” Maxwell asked as a man in a gray coat walked by the restaurant. 

Corey nodded. “Yeah, just thought it was weird. It's over 80 degrees outside.” He looked down at the food on his plate that he hardly touched.

“Well, yeah. It's pretty weird,” Riley agreed. “Does it really bother you?”

The waitress set the check on the table and Maxwell put his card in the slot to hand it back to her immediately.

“It's-... It's not the jacket. It's nothing,” Corey mumbled.

Riley wrapped his arm around Corey's shoulders. “It's ok. You can tell us.”

“I'd rather just go home,” Corey whispered.

“Are you sure? You've barely eaten,” Riley asked as he glanced at Corey's plate.

The waitress returned with Maxwell's card and placed it on the table. “Can I interest anyone in a to go box?”

Corey shook his head.

Maxwell scribbled down a tip and signature. “We're ok. Are you ready to go now?”

Corey nodded.

The waitress took the receipt and all three men left the restaurant.

The three of them went to Maxwell's car. It was a quiet ride, but they soon arrived at Maxwell's apartment. Riley stayed on Corey's heels until he sat on the couch.

“You don't have to talk to us Corey, but we would appreciate it if you did. We might be able to help,” Maxwell said in a soothing tone.

Corey took a deep breath. “I've been seeing that guy a lot recently. Like, a lot. Outside of the office, at stores, at restaurants, everywhere.”

“Is he following you? Do you know him?” Riley asked quickly.

“I don't know,” Corey admitted. “My neighbor stopped me in the hallway and said that a guy came by when we were out of town looking for me. It's just been freaking me out.”

“Is that what's been bothering you? You could have told us,” Maxwell said as he rubbed Corey's shoulders.

“I was worried that it would put you in danger, or that it was just in my head.”

“Don't worry, there's plenty we can do. We can all look around for him. If we see him a lot we can call the cops. Everything will be fine,” Maxwell assured him.

Corey nodded and rested his head on Maxwell's shoulder.

“I appreciate you telling me,” Maxwell whispered as he wrapped an arm around Corey's shoulders. “You can stay here as long as you want. Nothing will happen to you here and you aren't putting us in danger. Can I get you something?”

Corey shook his head.

“Do you want to lay down?” Maxwell suggested.

Corey thought a moment before nodding. Maxwell helped him to his feet and held on to him as the walked. He reached over to Riley and held his hand to cue him to follow. Riley stayed close behind him and pulled the covers back for Corey to lay down.

Corey kicked his shoes off and pushed his pants down before climbing into bed. 

“Are you comfortable?” Maxwell asked.

Corey took his shirt off and threw it into the hamper. “Now I am.”

Riley stripped until he was comfortable and climbed into bed with him. Maxwell smiled and joined them. Riley held on to Corey tight, squeezing all the broken pieces back together. Corey smiled at Riley's effort. He truly believed his love could heal the world.

Corey stroked Riley's hair and kissed his forehead. “You give the best hugs.”

“Does it make you feel better?”

Corey nodded and kissed Riley's cheek. Maxwell laid on the other side of Riley, wrapping his arm around both men.

“Are you naked?” Riley asked suddenly.

“Everyone else was getting comfortable. I wanted to join.”

Corey and Riley laughed together. “You're either in a suit or naked,” Riley laughed.

“Naked is comfortable,” Maxwell defended.

Corey and Riley laughed more.

“You two need to get to sleep.”

It took almost an hour of cuddling, but they all drifted off to sleep eventually.


	10. Chapter 10

Things felt much safer now.

 

Maxwell and Riley knew about the stalker. He wasn't alone anymore and it eased his mind. Spending time with Maxwell and Riley helped him forget about the impending danger. They stopped for coffee and donuts. Riley pulled out his wallet and pushed money towards the cashier before Maxwell could say anything. It was obvious that Maxwell wanted to object, but the cashier was already handing Riley change.

 

Corey spent the morning actually doing job. He didn't feel as distracted as he did the past few weeks. He was focused and it fueled him to do well. Maxwell agreed to sit outside with them to eat lunch. Riley surprised them with a packed lunch full sandwiches, chips, bottles of water, and cookies. They sat down the road near a lake, watching ducks float by. A flash of gray caught Corey's attention.

 

The man in the gray jacket walked by stopping at a nearby hotdog stand. Corey pushed his food away and stared at the water. He couldn't do this forever. He had to confront this. He couldn't be this afraid for the rest of his life. He hopped to his feet and sprinted across the street. A car honked at him for running in the street. The sudden sound startled the man and he looked directly at Corey. 

 

Corey finally had the chance to get a look at the man’s face. His jaw went slack and his mouth fell open. And just like that, it all flooded back. 

 

_ Tyler _

 

The name probably died on his lips, but it felt as if the entire world shook as he said it. Booming in his head, the name echoed endlessly on repeat.

 

Memories clouded his head. Laying on Tyler’s chest, listening to the steady sound of his heartbeat as the Aloe Vera cooled his skin. The soft air against his face as he was told how proud he should be. The gentle hand on his hip. The hand that could beat him without mercy and still caress his skin minutes later.

 

The bliss ended in a flash as the man turned away and walked briskly down the next street. 

 

The memories were erased, replaced with thoughts of pain and heartache. He remembered the heat of his face as he willed himself not to cry. The gut wrenching pain of being abandoned. The hours spent curled up on the floor with a blanket hardly covering him.

 

He begged and begged, but it did no good. The one punishment he couldn't escape. He could tolerate being beaten for hours, but he could never survive reliving the moment when he watched that man walk out of his life.

 

He shoved the memories down to be locked away behind iron bars where they never could escape. He turned to look toward Maxwell and Riley to face the consequences of his sudden absence. 

 

Riley was standing just across the street. He and Maxwell ran across street when it was safe. He was clearly ready to ask Corey about his behavior directly, but Maxwell spoke first. “Are you ok?”

 

“I… I need to go. I'll see you later,” Corey said slowly without making eye contact.  He walked down the street and stuffed his hands into his pockets. 

 

Riley started to follow him, but Maxwell took his hand and guided him back to the office. Corey clearly had to work through something and pushing the issue didn't seem like the best idea.

 

Corey walked into his apartment. He hadn't been there in weeks and he hadn't been in there alone for months. He put his keys and wallet on the table. 

 

_ Tyler _

 

Something about knowing that it was Tyler who had been following him changed his feelings towards the entire situation. It reminded him of the times that Tyler would take a day off from work and follow Corey around. He would send random texts like  _ you missed a belt loop  _ or  _ chew with your mouth closed _ just so that Corey would know he was being watched. 

 

It thrilled him to know that Tyler was there. He couldn't see Tyler, but he knew he was there. It made him feel safe. He felt protected. Sure, Tyler could see the mundane details, but he would also be there if anything bad happened. 

 

After two steps, all he wanted to do was lower to the floor and curl up into a ball. 

 

How had he switched from concerned to terrified to turned on? When they were together, Corey  _ never _ saw Tyler when he was playing his stalking game. If he could see Tyler now, it was because Tyler  _ wanted  _ him to see. How long had Tyler been following him before he decided that he wanted Corey to see?

 

Corey leaned back and his head hit the wall behind him with a  _ thud _ . He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor with his knees pulled to his chest. It made him sick how much he wanted Tyler. 

 

He wanted him now. He wanted to press his face Tyler's bare chest and listen to his heartbeat. He wanted Tyler's all too familiar hand on his hip, rubbing circles into the skin. 

 

It wasn't a submissive thing. Maxwell took good care of him and he didn't need anything. It was a love thing. Maxwell would take care of him with everything he had, but he couldn't truly love someone as much as he loved Riley. And Corey couldn't love anyone as much as he once loved Tyler. 

 

Holding it in hurt. The lump in his throat made him gasp for air. The knots in his stomach made him want to puke. The burning anger behind his eyes made him want to claw at his eye sockets until they bled. He buried his face in his knees and sobbed. 

 

He slept in the floor. He couldn't bring himself to get up so he stayed there all night. His phone rang at 6:45 am. It was Maxwell waking him up so he would be at work on time, something he still did even though Corey no longer worked for him. 

 

He wouldn't be able to avoid Maxwell and Riley at work. They would want to talk. He pulled himself into the shower and cleaned up. He threw on some clothes and went straight to work. 

 

Maxwell went directly into his office, as he did every morning. Riley did his part and sent Maxwell his schedule for the day.  Afterward he walked over to Corey's desk casually. “Good morning.”

 

Corey kept his eyes on his desk. “Hey.”

 

Riley clearly wanted to pry, but he held back. He was probably fearful of what Maxwell would say if he found out. “Um, I just wanted to make sure you were ok.”

 

Corey nodded. “I'm fine.”

 

Riley looked at him for a while. He couldn't make himself believe that Corey was telling the truth. He turned away and went back to his desk. 

 

He was only there for a minute and then Maxwell called him into his office. 

 

“I didn't pry. I just made sure he was ok,” Riley defended before Maxwell could speak.

 

Maxwell rubbed his temples. 

 

“Max, you know something is up. Why aren't you doing anything?” Riley whined. “You said that we had to talk when we are upset, even if it's something small. Why aren't you making him talk to us?”

 

Maxwell pulled Riley to his lap. He couldn't be upset with Riley. He was truly worried about his friend. “I do want you to talk when you're upset. I want Corey to talk when he's upset too. I just don't think that Corey is ready to talk. Whatever is upsetting him is probably something bigger than I can fix. He knows we are here when he is ready.”

 

Riley sighed and rested his head on Maxwell's shoulder. He knew Maxwell was right. He just didn't like seeing Corey upset. 

 

“Get to work sweetheart. We will work things out at home.”

 

Riley did as he was told. He worked at his desk and didn't go visit Corey anymore. Even when they took a lunch break, he ate in Maxwell's office. Corey sat at his desk. 

 

At the end of the day, Corey walked by to leave for the day.  He stopped a few steps away and turned to Riley. “How much longer will you be here?”

 

Riley shrugged. “Just a few more minutes. Maxwell said he would be done soon.”

 

“Care if I wait here?”

 

Riley smiled slightly, happy that Corey wanted to be around him.

 

Maxwell stepped out of his office and locked the door. He noticed Corey immediately and walked over to Riley's desk. “Ready to go home?” The question was directed at both men. Both nodded. 

 

It was a quiet ride home. Corey and Riley went straight to the couch and plopped down. Maxwell put his work things in their designated place and went into the kitchen. “Any preferences for dinner?”

 

Corey spoke up, “Actually, before we eat, can I talk to you?”

 

Maxwell nodded and sat on the couch beside Riley. Both of them seemed slightly excited to finally know what has been going on. 

 

“Um, I don't exactly know how I'm going to say this so bear with me,” Corey said lightly with an easy smile. 

 

He swallowed nervously. “The guy at dinner yesterday… he has been following me for a few weeks. I noticed him a few times and thought it was a coincidence. Then he showed up more and more.”

 

Maxwell put his hand on Riley's thigh, a subtle reminder to stay quiet. 

 

“I went over to confront him. I was hoping it was all in my head, but he looked at me. I recognized him. He's an ex.”

 

“He's been stalking you?” Maxwell asked, clearly concerned for Corey's safety. 

 

“We should call the cops!” Riley shouted, immediately looking to Maxwell to call and make sure this was taken care of right then. 

 

“Wait, no,” Corey interrupted.

 

Maxwell and Riley looked at him, expecting him to explain. 

 

“He's not dangerous,” Corey said slowly. 

 

“Then why were you so upset,” Riley asked, gently prying. 

 

Part of Corey had hoped he would be able to avoid that part. “He's not dangerous,” he repeated. “I think he's just trying to get my attention. When we broke up, I blocked him in every way I could think of.”

 

“Is there anything we can do?” Maxwell asked calmly. 

 

Corey shook his head. “There's only one thing to do. I have to talk to him.”

 

_____

 

Corey didn't bother hunting him down. After all, a good stalker would find him first. He took a day off from work. Well kinda. His boss said no, but Riley agreed to cover for him until he could show up.

 

Corey spent the morning walking through the city. He stopped at a coffee shop and sat inside with coffee and a muffin. He made sure to pick a place with windows lining the wall so he could see out to the street.

 

He focused on not looking outside too much so he didn't set off any red flags. After about 10 minutes he glanced out of a window. Sure enough, there was a guy in a hoodie standing just at the edge of his view. 

 

He immediately looked up at the door to see if there was a bell over the door. There wasn't. He stood up and carefully walked to the door, keeping an eye on his stalker. He pushed the door open and the man immediately started walking away. He wasn't running, just casually walking down the street.

 

Corey walked briskly behind him, slowly catching up. The man took a quick turn down an alley. Corey ran after him, determined not to lose track of him.  He rounded the corner and almost collided with the man's chest. 

 

He took a small step backward, suddenly speechless. He had every word planned out for how he would address the man, but now that he was standing right in front of him, he couldn't think of a word to say. 

 

“Are you following me?” the man grinned.

 

“No, you're following me and I want to know why,” Corey glared. 

 

“You know why.”

 

Corey sighed. He did know why. He knew, but he was hoping he was wrong. 

 

“I'm only here to tell you to stop. You're-...” Corey was promptly interrupted. 

 

“That's not true.”

 

Corey looked up at at the man, clearly confused.

 

“You didn't come here to tell me to stop. If you wanted me to stop you would have called the cops. You have my name and you know where I'll be. They could have caught me easily. You're here because you want to see me.”

 

The lump in Corey's throat came back. He was right. As much as Corey didn't want to be around the man, he really wanted to see him again. He opened his mouth to speak and his voice was more than pitiful. “I didn't expect you to be here. Last I heard, you were moving east.”

 

The man nodded. “I was out there for a while. I just came back a couple of months ago. I stopped by your apartment building to see if you were at the same place. I knew you wouldn't want to talk to me.”

 

“So you stalked me to figure out what I was doing?” Corey asked, doing his best to sound offended and violated.

 

“No, I followed you because I knew you would notice eventually and come talk to me.”

 

As ridiculous as it sounded, Corey couldn't respond because that's exactly what happened.

 

“Fine. You got me to talk to you. Now will you leave me alone?”

 

The man shook his head. “This isn't talking. Come get dinner with me. We can talk then.”

 

Corey hesitated. He knew that dinner was more intimate than he wanted the conversation to be, but he just ate breakfast and he had to go to work so he wouldn't be available for lunch.

 

The man smiled. “I'll see you at 7.”

 

With that the man left and walked down the street. Corey just stood there for a minute, appalled by how different the real conversation was to the one in his head. It was almost 10. He sighed and ran out to the street. He caught a cab to get him to work.

 

He filled Maxwell and Riley in on the plans over lunch. Riley asked to go with him, but Maxwell said it was private so he could go alone. They both informed him that he could call them if anything happened.

 

After work he had just enough time to go home and shower. It was in the shower that he realized two things.  First of all, it wasn't a date and the shower wasn't necessary. Second of all, dinner was at 7 but he didn't know where. 

 

He thought of all the possible restaurants that he could go to. There was his favorite restaurant. There was Tyler's favorite restaurant. There was the restaurant they went to on their first date.

 

That's when it hit him. Corey dressed quickly and took off down the street. It was only a 10 minute walk, then he noticed Tyler standing outside of the restaurant. No hoodie or thick jacket, just Tyler. Tyler with his jeans and converse. Tyler who is always in a new band tee. Tyler who smiled brightly when he realized that Corey successfully found him. 

 

“You remembered,” Tyler said opening the door for Corey to enter the restaurant. 

 

“Yeah, I remembered,” Corey said as he walked through the door. 

 

He remembered. He remembered the first time he met Tyler in this restaurant. He remembered how Tyler stood out in a packed room. He remembered how special he felt when Tyler ordered for him. He remembered how he just knew what was coming next. He knew exactly what to expect that evening after Tyler had paid for him, even winking at him as he handed the waitress his credit card. He could never forget that night.

 

He remembered it all. 

 

They were seated quickly and water was brought to the table. Tyler broke the silence first. “Corey, how have you been?”

 

Tyler always said his name to grab  Corey's attention when he planned to say something important. 

 

“I've been good,” Corey said as he sipped water.

 

“Working in the same place?”

 

Corey nodded. “I decided to work for a different guy, but it's in the same office with similar responsibilities. Did you really bring me here to talk about work?”

 

“I know things didn't end that great with us, but you know I care about you.”

 

“No. No you don't,” Corey said immediately. “If you cared about me you wouldn't have left.” Corey tried his best to remember the reality of the events. He couldn't fall back into this trap again.

 

“I asked you to come with me. If I didn't care I wouldn't have asked you to come across the country with me.”

 

“You know my rule about that. I don't change states for relationships. You should have stayed.”

 

“I got into one of the best photography programs in the country. Did you want me to just throw all that away?”

 

“There are great schools in California. You could have gone there. You didn't have to go across the country,” Corey shot back.

 

“Corey, I applied to those schools. I didn't get accepted. If I could have stayed here I would have.”

 

The waitress walked passed them a few times, but never stopped to interrupt their conversation. 

 

“Corey, I loved you. I still do. That's why I'm here.”

 

That caught Corey's attention. He hadn't thought about why Tyler came back to town.

 

Corey wasn't impressed. “You're staying here for the summer?”

 

“They had an online option available for next year. You can do it anywhere in the country.” Tyler waited, watching Corey's reaction before he continued. “Corey, I miss you. I want to know where we stand and I want to make it work. I want to sign up for the online option so I can stay here, but I want to know that you want it too. I want to know that you'll at least try.” 

 

“You can't do this to me.” Corey wanted to say so much more, but nothing came out. “You can't.”

 

He stormed out of the restaurant, leaving all eyes on Tyler.

 

Tyler left money on the table even though they just got water, then straightened their chairs before following him.

 

He ran after Corey and stopped him.

 

“What is it? Do you really hate me that much?”

 

“I don't hate you! I wish I could hate you. Watching you leave was the hardest thing I've ever done. I wanted a life with you. Knowing that you could throw it all away killed me. I can't do that again!”

 

Tyler wrapped his arms around Corey and  held him against his chest. He felt Corey slowly relax into the embrace before shoving him away.

 

“No! You can't do this!” Corey rubbed furiously at his eyes. “I got over you! I started sleeping and eating again. I stopped seeing things that remind me of you all over this city. I got over you!  You can't just come back and fuck it up! It's not fair!”

 

Tyler pulled him back into his arms and held him close. This time it wasn't for Corey, it was for him. “I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.” He repeated it over and over. He felt Corey's tears seep through his shirt.

 

“I'm never meant to hurt you,” Tyler continued. “I will spend all of my time making it up to you. I will prove to you how much I want to be with you. You don't have to say anything right now, ok? Just know that I still love you and please think about it.”

 

Corey nodded against his chest.

 

Tyler didn't let go until Corey pulled away.


	11. Final Chapter

“I just need some time,” Corey whispered.

 

“That's ok. I'll be here. I'm staying at the hotel down the street from you.  Just… call me. Ok?”

 

Corey nodded. He started walking home,  but he knew it would make more sense to go straight to Maxwell's. They knew he was going to see Tyler today so they would probably have lots of questions. Even if he didn't have answers, it was better to go anyway so they didn't worry.

 

When he knocked on the door, Maxwell opened it almost immediately. He must have already been in the kitchen. “Corey, hey. How are you?”

 

“I just got back from dinner. I figured I would hang out with you guys instead of going home. Is that ok?”

 

Maxwell nodded. “Yeah, I was just cleaning up the kitchen. We cooked dinner tonight.”

 

“That sounds good,” Corey smiled as he walked into the apartment. “Where is Riley?”

 

“He is probably still asleep. He fell asleep right after dinner. How did your dinner go?”

 

Corey sat on the couch. “He… he is moving here.”

 

Maxwell sat close beside him. “Are you ok with that?”

 

“It's not like I can stop him… But he does want to get back together.”

 

“Just because he is back, it doesn't mean you owe him anything,” Maxwell explained carefully.

 

“Yeah… I know. I just have to think about everything for a while, but not tonight. Tonight, I just want to be with my best friends and not worry about it.”

 

Maxwell smiled and put his arm around Corey's shoulder. “That sounds like a great night to me. Do you want to watch a movie?” Maxwell asked as he handed Corey the controller. 

 

Corey smiled and scrolled through movie options on netflix. “I'll check on Riley,” Maxwell announced as he went into the bedroom.

 

Riley was tangled in blankets, but his eyes were open. “Hey Angel.”

 

Riley’s eyes darted over to him. “Are you not cold?”

 

“Not as cold as you?” Maxwell chuckled. “I'll will turn the heat on a little bit.”

 

“Good. Unless you want me to freeze to death.”

 

“I definitely don't want that.  Do you want to stay in here for the night? Corey is here.”

 

Riley sat up quickly. “How did his dinner go?”

 

“It was fine. He just said that he doesn't want to talk about it tonight. He just wants to hang out with us. He's picking out a movie.”

 

Riley was quiet for a moment. “Before we go out there can I ask you something?”

 

“Anything, Angel.”

 

“Do you think Corey wants to be with that guy? He said it was an ex. He's probably trying to win Corey over.”

 

“I think you're right. He probably does want Corey, but going back to an ex rarely works out. I'm sure Corey knows that. Are you worried about him leaving?”

 

“He'll always be our friend, right?”

 

“Absolutely.”

 

Riley kicked his way free from the blankets and got up. When they went into the living room, Corey had set up a new action movie.

 

Riley sat close to Corey. He was greeted with a smile and a kiss on his cheek. “Hey sleepy head,” Corey teased.

 

Riley pouted. “It was just a little cat nap. Maxwell keeps it so cold in here, the minute I got under the blankets I fell asleep.”

 

“I'm turning the heat up now,” Maxwell announced as he clicked the switch and the heater turned on.

 

Corey laughed. “Come over here. I'll warn you up.”

 

Riley inched closer and Corey wrapped his arms around Riley.

 

It felt good to be with Corey again. Although Riley was curious, he didn't want to ruin his time with Corey. He was family now, he couldn't leave. No, he wouldn't leave, because Corey loved him too.

 

Maxwell sat on the other side of Corey and put an arm around him without a word. He silently considered the likelihood that Corey would go back to his ex. Corey was happy here, so he should stay, but he also deserved a relationship where he could be the center of attention.

  
Corey absorbed all the warmth he could as he sat between them. He loved being with them. They meant the world to him. The thought of leaving them made him sick. But he did have a lot of history with Tyler, so maybe he should give it another shot. He didn't like either option, but he would have to choose. He didn't have to choose immediately. For now, he could enjoy a movie with his best friends.


End file.
